David M. Axler is the author of the article Weather in the World of Greyhawk, Dragon #68 (Dec 1982), p.42-53. He played Advanced Dungeons & Dragons with Frank Mentzer, who would later be best known for the popular "BECMI" series of Dungeons & Dragons rulebooks, and took part in RPGA events in the early 1980s.
Writing history[]
Weather in the World of Greyhawk[]
Axler's sole writing contribution to the Dungeons & Dragons canon is the article Weather in the World of Greyhawk: A Climate for Realistic AD&D™ Adventuring Adaptable for Use In Your World, appearing in Dragon #68 (Dec 1982). This twelve-page article was inspired by Gary Gygax's adventure modules G2 The Glacial Rift of the Frost Giant Jarl (1978) and G3 Hall of the Fire Giant King (1978), and based on the world of Oerth as defined in Gygax's The World of Greyhawk Fantasy World Setting (1980).
Weather in the World of Greyhawk introduced detailed rules for weather effects to the AD&D game. The article described the challenge of converting D&D's flat map to a realistic sphere, phases of the moon, chance of precipitation, temperature, humidity, wind effects, wind chill, weather effects owing to terrain, earthquakes, volcanic eruption, cold weather, sunburn, tides, and the effects of these on adventurerse. Axler playtested his rules with his gaming group over a matter of months before publishing the article, and drew on several real-world sources on meteorology and medicine.
Axler's article received feedback a number of reader letters published in subsequent issues of Dragon. In Dragon #70 (Feb 1983), a reader corrected Axler the article regarding the number of high tides and direction of flow of rivers. In Dragon #73 (May 1983), a reader from Alberta, Canada complained that the author most live in a very warm climate based on the article's pessimistic appraisal of the ability of people to survive cold weather, to which editor Kim Mohan reavealed that Axler merely lived in Philadelphia. Axler responded in Dragon #77 (Sep 1983), thanking readers for their feedback and revealing that is half Canadian and has spent many winters in Toronto.
Axler's rules were subsequently included in the World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting, Glossography (1983), p.18-25. Axler was not paid for its inclusion, as Dragon articles submitted at this time were purchased as work-for-hire. While Axler was pleased to be one of the first non-TSR writers to contribute to Gygax's original world, he was disappointed to find that he was not credited for his work. He subsequently gained an agreement from TSR that future publications would credit him.[3]
A later article on the same topic, The role of nature, Dragon #108 (Apr 1986), p.12-20, cited Axler's article and went on to described rules for the effects of cold, heat, weather, and terrain in AD&D. Axler responded in the letters page of Dragon #111 (Jul 1986).
Similar weather and environmental rules appeared in the core D&D rules in the Dungeon Master's Guide (3.0) (2000). A simpler version of these weather and survival rules would continue to appear in later rulebooks, including the Dungeon Master's Guide (5e) (2014).
Other contributions[]
Axler was mentioned in RPGA News #3 (Winter 1981) as a finalist in an RPG tournament held at Gen Con East 1981, where he was awarded "best on team". He won a one-year RPGA membership extension and a copy of the modules used: R-1 To the Aid of Falx (1982), and R-2 The Investigation of Hydell (1982). In 1982, he is mentioned in Polyhedron #7 (1982), where he once again won Best Player in the finals at Gen Con East, winning another one-year extension for the quality of his roleplaying, rules knowledge, and cooperation. He also stepped in to run the convention that year.
In Polyhedron #10 (1983), Axler was the highest-rated RPGA Network Member, with a score of 1,500, though by Polyhedron #14 (1983) he had been overtaken by Kelly Foote with 2,300. He was rated a level 2 player in Polyhedron #22 (1985), based on his score of 1,500 points, by now outranked by 16 players. In Polyhedron #25 (1985) he was outranked by 26 players, including a level 8 Gary Gygax, and was also ranked level 2 as a Judge.
He was thanked in Polyhedron #31 (1986) for extensive suggestions regarding the RPGA's Living City, several of which were presented in Polyhedron #32 (1987) and commentated on in another reader's letter in Polyhedron #36 (1987). Following a large number of read submissions to a "Name the City Contest", the RPGA subsequently named the city Ravens Bluff.
Axler was thanked in the credits of Frank Mentzer's RPGA module I12 Egg of the Phoenix (1987) as one of the original players.