The Strategic Review #2
TSR published The Strategic Review #2 in the Summer of 1975. It had a cover price of 50 cents and was eight pages long. It begins with a dedication to Don Kaye, the co-founder of TSR, who passed away in January 1975 at the age of 36. He was Gary Gygax's best friend and deeply missed.
Brian Blume wrote this issue's editorial titled "Why We Do What We Do." He notes that TSR is a group of long-term gamers dedicated to publishing enjoyable games. Intriguingly, he states that they value game playability above simulation, which sheds some light on the criticism they often later received for D&D combat being so "unrealistic."
There is an advertisement for "The Strategists Club," which was the name of their loyalty program. They are soliciting numbers for a member's banquet and awards night. However, it's not clear if the banquet actually happened.
There are some rules additions for Cavaliers and Roundheads, a miniatures game written by Gary Gygax and Jeff Perren, which was also TSR's first publication. In the early days, the company saw itself primarily as a wargame publisher--the category of RPG publishing simply didn't exist.
"Wargaming World" summarizes various gossip and happenings in the hobby gaming space. The author notes that convention season is here, and there are now too many local conventions to list. The wargaming zines BATTLE FLAG and EL CONQUISTADOR are defunct, but THE MIDWEST GAMING REVIEW may serve as a replacement. Fantastic Stories now focuses on "Swords & Sorcery and Fantasy," much to the author's approval. There are rumors that Avalon Hill and SPI are following TSR's lead and looking into the fantasy genre. Finally, the author pleads with people to support their local wargaming clubs.
There is a page dedicated to FAQs about D&D, and it includes an extended example of combat. The preface states that the Chainmail system rules should only be used for mass combat and that people should use the alternative combat rules in the D&D book for regular play. This position is quite a shift, and there is no doubt the references to Chainmail in the original book caused much confusion. The FAQ also has a couple of minor clarifications around experience points and spells.
"Creature Feature" returns with statistics for the Roper, a stalagmite-like monster that has been part of the game ever since. Following it is the first appearance of the Ranger class, written by Joe Fischer. Based on Aragorn from Lord of the Rings, this became a truly iconic character option in D&D. The author appears to have submitted the article to the magazine, which then became the sole property of TSR according to their submissions policy. The company accrued a lot of IP in this and similar ways, with little or no compensation to the authors.
Gygax presents an article describing various medieval polearms, a hobby horse topic for him. After all, It is important to distinguish your glaive-guisarme from your bill guisarme!
"TSR News" mentions a slew of upcoming products: Chainmail, Panzer Warfare, Greyhawk, Boot Hill, and Classic Warfare. This increased production is a direct result of the unexpected success of D&D and the revenue now pouring into the company coffers.
The final article is a set of additional unit organizations for Panzer Warfare, followed by a page of TSR ads.
And that's a wrap! My favorite article was the Ranger. Next issue, we have shambling mounds, gun fighting, and the cities of Mars!