Dragon 363 Blurb

[F5]

The one thing that's putting me off the electronic format of the magazines more than anything else is how unfocused and cluttered they are. I can't for the life of me tell, when I'm looking at some piece of online content, if I'm supposed to be looking at an article in Dragon or dungeon. Or, is this meant to be part of the DI? Or Gleemax? They've got too much on the pot right now, and it all bleeds together to the point where nothing online looks or feels any different than their old website.

And, while it was fine for free content, the old D&D website wasn't exactly revolutionizing the online hobby.

I'm reserving judgment until the digital stuff goes "live"...but as it is right now, this is nothing I'd be willing to pay for.

 

[Mirtek]

As I recall (I don't have a link, but it was discussed on dndinsider.com not long after the 4E announcement) that Dungeon and Dragon would be bi-monthly until 4E came out, and would then switch back to monthly.

That's what they said but that's also what the failed to deliver.

It's an insult to all fans of the magazine to announce issue #363 while there haven't been issue #361 and #362. At least admit to being unable to do these two and just call the last one #361 so that we have an unbroken issue history

 

[loseth]

WOTC has unsold me on D&D Insider.

Six months ago I was absolutely, totally, completely sure I would subscribe immediately.

Now, I just don't have any confidence that WOTC would give me my money's worth.

 

[FourthBear]

I should note that I've liked a fair number of the articles that DDI has had. However, there are too few of them and too infrequent right now to impress. Generally, I think people have too rosy a view of the paper magazines, which had plenty of so-so articles mixed in with the good stuff. Also, that people tend to recall only the best articles and compile them in their heads into a super-issue that they confuse with what the paper magazines actually published every week. Overall, however, the general feeling I have is that WotC isn't very good at information tech and they don't tend to pick very good development partners to boot.

 

[Draumr]

The online versions have been extremely disappointing. Whatever doubts I've had about subscribing have been dispelled. I'll miss my paper copies, and WotC will miss my money - Kobold Quarterly has filled the gap for me.

 

[delericho]

Generally, I think people have too rosy a view of the paper magazines, which had plenty of so-so articles mixed in with the good stuff. Also, that people tend to recall only the best articles and compile them in their heads into a super-issue that they confuse with what the paper magazines actually published every week.

Possibly, but at the time they were cancelled, the magazines were particularly impressive. Dragon had several excellent series running (and hadn't had a bad issue for a couple of years), while Dungeon had hit the 'magic formula' of three adventures per month, including the very solid adventure path concept.

Certainly, eDragon has been a massive disappointment. eDungeon has been somewhat better, but still doesn't get pass marks from me. Unless things pick up a great deal in the next couple of months (or at least two months before they consider charging for the magazines), I certainly won't be subscribing.

 

[GruTheWanderer]

Generally, I think people have too rosy a view of the paper magazines, which had plenty of so-so articles mixed in with the good stuff.

I disagree. I was a subscriber to Dungeon for it's last three paper years. I looked forward to each issue and read it cover-to-cover within a week of it's arrival. The online adventures have been nowhere near as interesting, and the delve format makes them less readable to boot.

I'm very excited about 4e. I expect I will subscribe to DI for the rules database alone. But I would rather have one more paper issue from Paizo than all the Dungeon adventures that have come out since the announcement.

 

[Zimri]

Generally, I think people have too rosy a view of the paper magazines, which had plenty of so-so articles mixed in with the good stuff. Also, that people tend to recall only the best articles and compile them in their heads into a super-issue that they confuse with what the paper magazines actually published every week. Overall, however, the general feeling I have is that WotC isn't very good at information tech and they don't tend to pick very good development partners to boot.

It's unfortunate to me but they will not in the foreseeable future be able to sell me on any E-magazines. Every issue of dragon was useful to me in one regard that no E-mag could be. Portability to rooms in the house where one doesn't generally take a computer but does generally sit for extended periods reading.

Gee I hope that says what I mean it too and doesn't break the grandma rule.

 

[keterys]

That's okay - the new generation of gamers will all have laptops and iphones, so can read it while sitting there as well.

Assuming no one develops a new device that interfaces directly and super rapidly takes care of things, mitigating the need to sit. Now there's a scary thought for the future.

 

[Voss]

I should note that I've liked a fair number of the articles that DDI has had. However, there are too few of them and too infrequent right now to impress. Generally, I think people have too rosy a view of the paper magazines, which had plenty of so-so articles mixed in with the good stuff. Also, that people tend to recall only the best articles and compile them in their heads into a super-issue that they confuse with what the paper magazines actually published every week. Overall, however, the general feeling I have is that WotC isn't very good at information tech and they don't tend to pick very good development partners to boot.

I wouldn't say its a rosy memory (personally I stopped buying dragon over a decade ago, and never bought dungeon). Its more that they kiled the magazines a year before they were ready to pick up the slack, which is lost money for them and lost gaming info for their audience. Lets face it, theres been a bare handful of articles in the months since they killed dragon and dungeon that would have been in the print version (the ecology of.., and one or two adventures) The rest has been short preview snippets that would have been on WotC's website anyway.

It was just a bizarrely stupid business decision all around. They had to know that their income on 3e books would go down as soon as they announced 4e. Shooting themselves in the foot by ending the license fees from Paizo was just blatant stupidity. Had they been patient and phased the web content in when they could handle it (4 or 5 years from now) everyone would have been much better off. Doing it while trying to get all the books for this year done was just foolish- way, way too many big projects.