Disappointment in thinning Dragon content

[ppaladin123]

The content calendar for September is up, and we get yet another month with few articles.

Since the, "new direction," announced a few months ago, articles have generally run 3-4 pages each. We are not getting more articles to compensate for this.

Many of the articles are simply a page or two of fluff bundled with a couple of weapons or powers. The "winning races" and "class act" articles have less and less to do with the classes or races they are supposed to support. It looks like regular column names are being slapped on articles that they don't know how to categorize otherwise.

More and more of the page count of the typical Dragon issue is made up of previews and editorials.

The editing in the compiled issues also seems to be taking a turn for the worse. There a few feats/powers in the most recent edition that now make no sense after being, "fixed."

I realize that WotC is really busy with the roll out of Essentials, and that some of the material submitted for publication in the last few months must have been obsoleted and thus scrapped as a result of this new direction, but I'm having trouble shaking my disappointment with the product as of late.

I'm tempted to let my subscription expire in a couple of months and simply renew two or three times a year for a month to get updates to the character builder.


If there are any WotC people around who want to reassure me ([MENTION=697]mearls[/MENTION]), that would be great.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I agree that it has been crap.

The lack of full scale maps in Dungeon is annoying still.

The massive amount of previews material we've had rammed down our throats while the actual content we're paying for is parsed back has been annoying.

The lack of articles that people have been clamoring for, like deity articles that harken back to what they did with Bane in 4e as opposed to what we saw afterwarrds...

I'm not saying the golden age is over but we need some comics, some lengthier articles, and more utility out of the magazine.

 

[Aegeri]

There are numerous flaws to both magazines as of late actually. Firstly, the articles quality, not just quantity, has been going rapidly downhill. Articles have been very disappointing lately, in that the fluff is okay to not very great and has terrible mechanical support. A terrific example of this is the changeling article. Not only did it manage to contradict bits of previous Eberron lore, but it was the ultimate insult to injury in the most chronically undersupported race in all of 4E got a single terrible feat. It was immeasurably disappointing to me and I know some of my players were equally as let down. It's frustrating as well, because some classes have terrific support like the fighter and wizard and many others are just left to die in the dirt EG the "DDI exclusive" Assassin and the Artificer (do they just hate stuff from Eberron or what?).

There needs to be a good thought of focusing content on what NEEDS it. Not endless wizard and fighter articles every month. Focus your attention on the undersupported, not the massively supported by absolutely everyone and their dog fighter/wizard etc.

On the DM side of things, I want more articles like the Bane article with stats of the god actually, or high level servants if they are on the "epic side" of epic, like around level 36+ (and therefore not really suited for statting). I also want more monster articles, more power swap/theme type articles and similar. In terms of adventures I want MORE PARAGON AND EPIC ADVENTURES. So much heroic stuff it's choking out absolutely everything else at this point. I almost squeal with delight at anything that is above heroic tier.

My other complaint is the fact wizards continues to fail to untag their maps and provide them for subscribers at a decent resolution. This frustrates me no end, because they get some fantastic cartography that I would love to use, yet ruin it horrifically with bloody circled Ys, Xs and similar crap. Honestly, I don't NEED to know that on the maps very much anyway and I usually change monster positions myself to begin with. Having beautiful maps covered in "letter vomit" (as I call it) is just massively depressing. Even if I don't use the adventures, maps are infinitely valuable and a variety of maps means a variety of adventuring possibilities!

Overall I feel I am getting little value out of my DDI subscription. The delays to the tools, which is what I do use as the monster builder is my lifeline with the character builder is really getting to me now. I have only a singular adventure I actually want to run as is in my three campaigns I am running but then again, I make my own adventures - it's why I DM to be honest. But again, good untagged maps and new traps/monsters is always useful - even if I don't wish to use the adventure. The lack of adventures is another incredible pet peeve of mine as well, especially when they aren't making up for the lost content elsewhere like deity, demonomicon and whatever else articles.

Overall the online magazines held a lot of promise but have become very disappointing as of late. If it wasn't for the fact my PCs love the character builder and the monster builder badly needs an update I would have already canceled my subscription. I am not impressed and I really hope once they get over the essentials "bubble" or whatever this is, we get some real content in the magazines again. This is in fact my main whinge when it comes to 4E and I am so easy to please. If I had a few decent adventures a month and some untagged maps with wizards excellent cartographers they have I wouldn't be half as unhappy.

 

[Derulbaskul]

I would change the title of this thread to "...Dungeon AND Dragon content" but otherwise agree.

We barely see, what?, two adventures a month in Dungeon? Maybe I need to go back and double-check but I think it's been a few months since we've actually seen more than one decent-sized adventure in a month: delves and extended delves seem to be it.

I'm very disappointed in this aspect of the DDi experiment. I'm not price-sensitive; I would actually pay more for more content.

 

[Nymrohd]

Fluff with no real direction, pointless crunch in a system that in my opinion is already swamped. I appreciate crunchy bits that are thematic (like last months Dark Sun articles or the one about dagger sorcerers) but most of the small articles feel pointless and just there to fill in some quota.

 

[Mustrum_Ridcully]

Keep in mind in regards to article content - WotC doesn't write them all by themself. They have a submission process. If everyone and his mother is sending in Fighter and Wizard articles, they can't give us anything else.

 

[Colmarr]

If everyone and his mother is sending in Fighter and Wizard articles, they can't give us anything else.

Actually they can. It wasn't so long ago that I specifically recall them stating exactly what sort of articles they were looking for at that time.

It wouldn't be that hard for them to keep track of what they had published and issue calls every few months.

 

[vagabundo]

I think they need to widen their net wrt authors.

Go find some good freelancers - their are tonnes around - and commission some articles.

The dungeon and dragon mags of old had a lot of varied content. And loads of little nooks and crannies; letters, sage advice, strips and even Ads!!

And bring in some DND outsiders - hehe - to get some weird and wonderful content in there.

 

[Insight]

Actually they can. It wasn't so long ago that I specifically recall them stating exactly what sort of articles they were looking for at that time.

Unfortunately, the magazines have changed leadership since that list came out. Who knows if this is even valid anymore?

 

[avin]

Have to agree with opinions presented here.

Was wondering if was just me but for months no article heally catch my eye.

Poor articles and things stuck in Beta forever looks like a red light to me.

After Essentials, 5E may be coming sooner than we expected?

I quit posting on Wizards boards waiting forever to see Templated added to MB...