Dragons of Mystery
Encyclopedia
Dragons of Mystery is a Dungeons & Dragons source book that is part of the series of game Dragonlance modules
. It is one of the 14 DL modules published
by TSR between 1984 and 1986. Its cover features a painting by Larry Elmore
of Tanis Half-Elven, Laurana Kanan, Tasslehoff Burrfoot
and Tika Waylan standing in front of a Dragon Highlord and a blue dragon.
and the characters in the Dragonlance
series. This book covers the geography, creation myths, and the gods of Krynn, including articles on each of the heroes which detail how they originally met and background information for each. The book also includes an errata sheet for modules DL1 through DL4.
The first section is a brief introduction and the final section a marketing questionnaire on the Dragonlance series so far. The other sections are:
A Dungeonmaster’s Guide to the Dragonlance game adventures
This section includes a "real world" history of dragonlance, a suggested session breakdown for running DL1-4
and errata for DL1-4. It also contains extra information on The Dragons of Krynn, The Dwarves of Thorbardin, The Council of Freedom and several particular NPC's - Verminard, Fizban, Sestun, Fewmaster Toede and Fistandantilus.
The Creation of the World
A history of the world of Krynn focusing on its creation.
The Gods of Krynn
A brief summary about each of the god's of good, evil and neutrality.
How The Heroes Met
A short story about the original heroes history and how they met.
The Companions of the Lance
Page long presentation of game statistics, history and personality of each of the heroes as they first appear in the series. This allows for a longer, more details presentation of the information than appeared in the adventure modules. Heroes presented are Tanis, Caramon, Raistlin, Flint Fireforge, Tasslehoff Burrfoot, Sturm Brightblade, Goldmoon, Riverwind, Tika Waylan, Gilthanas, Laurana and Elistan.
The Maps
The map "The Constellations of Krynn" is found on the inside cover in a star chart
showing planets, moons, and major stars that form constellations shown with drawings of the constellations symbols superimposed
. The "The Continent of Ansalon" map is a fold-out insert with 20 mile hexagonal grid.
, with art by Larry Elmore
, and was published by TSR in 1984 as a 32-page booklet with an outer folder.
, and gave it 6/10 overall. He felt that "To some extent, players will have been so overwhelmed with background information in the DragonLance modules that the style of thie setting and adventures will be as familiar as any campaign world can be." Staplehurts felt that Dragons of Mystery was produced essentially as a sourcebook for Krynn, because "TSR obviously feel that both DMs and players would appreciate yet more background to the world of Krynn and perhaps some hints of the adventures still in the pipeline and yet to be produced". He felt that its actual use and value as a sourcebook was questionable, as much of the information in the book is repeated to a greater extent from the prior four modules, and that "the ten or so pages of new material was insubstantial and too shallow to be of practical use". Staplehurst noted that "Various points hinted at in the modules are not expanded here and the only really interesting notes are those on the Dragons of Krynn: the designer's note in the introduction that the project is seen to some extent as a 'showcase' for the twelve varieties of dragon ... and the extra details are welcome." Staplehurst concluded the review by stating, "Overall, there is plenty of information contained within the modules themselves for DMs, and I would not recommend the sourcebook even for the continental map-this is going to be little use to the players except for papering a spare wall."
Adventure (Dungeons & Dragons)
In the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game, an adventure or module is a pre-packaged book or box set that helps the Dungeon Master manage the plot or story of a game...
. It is one of the 14 DL modules published
Dragonlance modules (DL series)
The DL Dragonlance modules are a series of adventures and some supplementary material for the Advanced Dungeons & Dragons role playing game. These modules along with the Dragonlance Chronicles trilogy of novels, which follow one possible adventure series through the modules, were the first...
by TSR between 1984 and 1986. Its cover features a painting by Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore is an American fantasy artist whose work includes creating illustrations for video games, comics, magazines and fantasy books. His list of work includes illustrations for Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonlance, and the comic strip series SnarfQuest...
of Tanis Half-Elven, Laurana Kanan, Tasslehoff Burrfoot
Tasslehoff Burrfoot
Tasslehoff Burrfoot is a fictional character of the kender race from the Dragonlance series of novels, written by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. He was born in Kendermore. His parents are unknown and he has few known relatives. He has a sister, and also claims to have an Uncle Trapspringer...
and Tika Waylan standing in front of a Dragon Highlord and a blue dragon.
Contents
Dragons of Mystery is a sourcebook on the world of KrynnKrynn
Krynn is the fictional world of the Dragonlance novels, co-written by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis. It has also been used in many other books, set in the Dragonlance universe. It is also used as the main setting in the Dragonlance campaign setting for the Dungeons & Dragons fantasy role-playing...
and the characters in the Dragonlance
Dragonlance
Dragonlance is a shared universe created by Laura and Tracy Hickman, and expanded by Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis under the direction of TSR, Inc. into a series of popular fantasy novels. The Hickmans conceived Dragonlance while driving in their car on the way to TSR for a job application...
series. This book covers the geography, creation myths, and the gods of Krynn, including articles on each of the heroes which detail how they originally met and background information for each. The book also includes an errata sheet for modules DL1 through DL4.
Sections
The module consists of seven sections and two maps.The first section is a brief introduction and the final section a marketing questionnaire on the Dragonlance series so far. The other sections are:
A Dungeonmaster’s Guide to the Dragonlance game adventures
This section includes a "real world" history of dragonlance, a suggested session breakdown for running DL1-4
and errata for DL1-4. It also contains extra information on The Dragons of Krynn, The Dwarves of Thorbardin, The Council of Freedom and several particular NPC's - Verminard, Fizban, Sestun, Fewmaster Toede and Fistandantilus.
The Creation of the World
A history of the world of Krynn focusing on its creation.
The Gods of Krynn
A brief summary about each of the god's of good, evil and neutrality.
How The Heroes Met
A short story about the original heroes history and how they met.
The Companions of the Lance
Page long presentation of game statistics, history and personality of each of the heroes as they first appear in the series. This allows for a longer, more details presentation of the information than appeared in the adventure modules. Heroes presented are Tanis, Caramon, Raistlin, Flint Fireforge, Tasslehoff Burrfoot, Sturm Brightblade, Goldmoon, Riverwind, Tika Waylan, Gilthanas, Laurana and Elistan.
The Maps
The map "The Constellations of Krynn" is found on the inside cover in a star chart
Star chart
A star chart is a map of the night sky. Astronomers divide these into grids to use them more easily. They are used to identify and locate astronomical objects such as stars, constellations and galaxies. They have been used for human navigation since time immemorial...
showing planets, moons, and major stars that form constellations shown with drawings of the constellations symbols superimposed
Superimposition
In graphics, superimposition is the placement of an image or video on top of an already-existing image or video, usually to add to the overall image effect, but also sometimes to conceal something .This technique is used in cartography to produce photomaps by superimposing grid lines, contour lines...
. The "The Continent of Ansalon" map is a fold-out insert with 20 mile hexagonal grid.
Publication history
DL5 Dragons of Mystery was written by Michael DobsonMichael Dobson (author)
Michael S. Dobson is an American author in the fields of Business , Alternate History novels and Role-playing game adventures .-Early life:At a young age, Dobson's family moved from North Carolina to Germany; his father...
, with art by Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore
Larry Elmore is an American fantasy artist whose work includes creating illustrations for video games, comics, magazines and fantasy books. His list of work includes illustrations for Dungeons & Dragons, Dragonlance, and the comic strip series SnarfQuest...
, and was published by TSR in 1984 as a 32-page booklet with an outer folder.
Reception
Graham Staplehurst reviewed Dragons of Mystery for White DwarfWhite Dwarf (magazine)
White Dwarf is a magazine published by British games manufacturer Games Workshop. Initially covering a wide variety of fantasy and science-fiction role-playing and board games, particularly the role playing games Dungeons & Dragons, RuneQuest and Traveller...
, and gave it 6/10 overall. He felt that "To some extent, players will have been so overwhelmed with background information in the DragonLance modules that the style of thie setting and adventures will be as familiar as any campaign world can be." Staplehurts felt that Dragons of Mystery was produced essentially as a sourcebook for Krynn, because "TSR obviously feel that both DMs and players would appreciate yet more background to the world of Krynn and perhaps some hints of the adventures still in the pipeline and yet to be produced". He felt that its actual use and value as a sourcebook was questionable, as much of the information in the book is repeated to a greater extent from the prior four modules, and that "the ten or so pages of new material was insubstantial and too shallow to be of practical use". Staplehurst noted that "Various points hinted at in the modules are not expanded here and the only really interesting notes are those on the Dragons of Krynn: the designer's note in the introduction that the project is seen to some extent as a 'showcase' for the twelve varieties of dragon ... and the extra details are welcome." Staplehurst concluded the review by stating, "Overall, there is plenty of information contained within the modules themselves for DMs, and I would not recommend the sourcebook even for the continental map-this is going to be little use to the players except for papering a spare wall."