Ever wonder what hidden easter eggs exist within the game? Here are a few you might have spotted over the years:

• We mentioned this one in our 12/25 Ask Wizards: hidden in 1st edition’s G1: Steading of the Hill Giant Chief, a hill giant-sized kool-aid pitcher can be seen on the kitchen shelves. Perhaps meant for Chief Nosnra’s birthday celebration interrupted in the recent lunchtime campaign (with Nosnra’s name itself an easter egg, referring to Dave Arneson; see 01/16's Ask Wizards).



• On the cover of 1st edition’s D1-2 Descent into the Depths of the Earth, the drow appear to have captured Captain America’s shield and Iron Man’s helmet.



• In the 2nd edition Monstrous Manual, the illustration for the invisible stalker is credited to Project Coordinator Tim Beach and Editor Doug Steward… yet, being an invisible stalker, the illustration was left blank.



• On page 242 of d20 Modern Core Rulebook, the kobold illustrated is—who else?—Meepo.



• On the cover of the Draconomicon, Regdar’s helmet can be seen in the dragon’s hoard, attesting to his fate (we assume he was later resurrected).



• The famed PHB idol has made multiple appearances, including in the 30th anniversary poster, as well as alluded to in Ed Greenwood’s tale Orron Rising.



• Was it coincidence that déjà vu was printed twice in the Expanded Psionics Handbook (pgs. 91 and 92)?



• Kim Mohan pointed out this one, from way back in Dragon Magazine 72, during his tenure as editor-in-chief. Writing the opening letter from the editor, Kim claimed that they would be taking the magazine in a new direction: specifically, adding coverage of drag car racing in order to broaden readership. Of course, the first letter of each paragraph spelled out “April Fool’s,” but that didn’t stop at least one reader from sending a vehemently opposed letter!



• Save My Game’s Jason Eric Nelson-Brown originally included a quite hefty dose of Batman-themed easter eggs in his Dungeon 137 adventure, Man-Forever (originally entitled Chauve-Souris, Man Forever…. that is, Bat-Man Forever). The editors caught that one, as well as excising a subplot that involved visiting Karmah (Arkham) Asylum, to see Jacques Na'piere (Jack Napier, aka the Joker). Yet quite a few character name anagrams survived, such as Gabra Robardon (Barbara Gordon), Teda Hervyn (Harvey Dent), and Arywen Cube (Bruce Wayne); plus, there was even Lord Samulbrar’s coat of arms: a two-headed black bat on a golden field… the Batman emblem!



• As Mat Smith mentions in a past In the Works column, Chris Thomasson “has been playing a goliath barbarian/cleric named Keanak Scarmaker Gaukanithanu in our Wednesday-night game.” That’s the same goliath cleric later appearing as War of the Dragon Queen’s Goliath Cleric of Kavaki. Mat Smith played a winged kobold during the same game night, also appearing as that set’s Dragonwrought Kobold. There is no truth to the rumor, however, that Brand Manager Scott Rouse has demanded that his own character, an anthropomorphized robotic dinosaur with levels in pirate and ninja, appear in a future DDM set.

For a look at other humor in the game (or lack thereof), be sure to read Design & Development’s article: Why We Aren’t Funny Anymore. We’d also be remiss if we didn’t mention magicthegathering.com’s recent easter egg feature: A Gathering of Easter Eggs.