DRAGON+ Now Available For Ratings

I must admit, I don't personally get some of the reactions to DRAGON+, the mobile app from WotC which launched in April. It's described as "...your official mobile source for all-things Dungeons & Dragons. This free app for iPhone or iPad has everything you want to know about D&D in one easy place. In addition to ongoing up-to-the minute news updates, every second month you’ll enjoy a new issue of Dragon+ showcasing what’s new in Dungeons & Dragons – from backstory and world information to discussions about what’s coming next with the creators and developers of your favorite D&D products." I think it does pretty much exactly what is says it'll do; it's not a content platform, it's one of those "brand news" apps which every company has these days. Perfectly normal. I think it's the name which is causing issues, because - being named after a magazine which published gaming content - people were disappointed that this wasn't that. I'm not personally interested in it, but I don't resent its existence. It's not really designed for folks who are up to date with the latest morsel or tweet from the D&D team.

Anyhow, I know that many people disagree (some pretty strongly) with my take on the apps, so the first two issues are available on iOS and Android now, and both can be commented on and rated in the reviews section here on EN World. Enjoy! Feel free to rate each issue as it comes out, and leave comments.

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[JmanTheDM]

For a book ? An interview of the author. A bonus chapter, or story with the protagonists of the novel, some stats of the villains or the important mcguffin... there are a lot of possiblities...

For a board game ? How about some side rules, or some different ways to play the board game...

For a video game, it's more tricky... I don't see a lot more than what they have offered so far.

Good points! I 100% agree.
Though, I would guess the Ed Greenwood article would qualify as part of the first. What would be cool IMO would be some kind of cross over article. how to build the main character in the MMO to match the main character in the book. or what the character sheet would look like for the BBG in the MMO etc...

But I suspect, as the app and the content producing "engine" gets into gear, they will have time to start thinking about adding more and more. I can only imagine how they are scrambling until the very last possible second to get the next release out the door as it is... [shrug]

Cheers,

J.

 

[Relax]

(Why do people in majority dislike this publication ?)

While I can't say for certain, I doubt that question is accurate. People who dislike something are far more likely to speak up than those who like that same thing, so it seems like the majority dislike it when it's just a case of the vocal minority.

I could be wrong though...

 

[Jer]

The app is fine - it's basically the same as their website - an ad for their D&D brand. I kind of liked the first issue, in that it provided some insight into their direction going forward for D&D and the Elemental Evil storyline. The second issue was meh because I don't play D&D computer games. I imagine the issues that talk about storyline stuff will be interesting to me, and the issues that don't will be as skippable as issue 2 was.

It's basically the TSR promo content that used to come in every issue of Dragon back in the day, except I'm not paying for it. And it's nice to have all of their tumblr and Facebook links in one place to peruse (since I don't use Facebook anymore and don't have time for Tumblr). Would I like to have an actual Dragon magazine now? Meh - I'm not sure it would be worth it anymore. How much does the game really need monthly articles like that at this point? The game now has a 40+ year history of stuff out there - by the end of the Paizo Dragon publishing era the magazine was treading water and regurgitating the same ideas "but now for 3.5e". The Wizards Dragon for 4th edition was only interesting in the setting materials they published for their Nentir Vale setting - other than that it was regurgitating the same ideas "but now for 4e" (and admittedly even a lot of the Nentir Vale stuff they published fell into the "here's something that has been in the game forever, but we're going to reimagine it for this new setting in some way" that was hit or miss).

What would they be doing with a Dragon magazine these days? Likely regurgitating articles they've done for all of the previous iterations of the game "but now for 5e"! I could see a yearly annual that might serve that purpose, but a monthly magazine? Not in this day and age I think.

 

[Pauper]

Yeah, for me it's pretty much the name.

I understand that many companies have a 'news app' and that WotC likely figured they shouldn't be an exception, and if they called it 'D&D Monthly' or some such, I'd have had no real issues with it -- there's not a lot there that I don't already know from other sources, but that's fine, I just don't need to incorporate that app into my regular info tour of online sources.

But by using the Dragon+ name, they do two things:

1. Immediately attract the attention of people who remember the Dragon brand fondly, suggesting to them that this is the official 5e version of that venerable magazine, and
2. Suggest that there is more here than was in the original Dragon, ergo Dragon+

Neither of these is really true -- the name decision basically just smacks of a marketing guy's desire to show really huge download numbers to his bosses, rather than anything the long-time D&D player is going to appreciate.

--
Pauper

 

[justinj3x3]

I don't care either way because I don't do apps. Nor do I watch cable TV because I don't need to be advertised to or be a nightly zombie to prolefeed. BUT being a fan of Dungeon and Dragon magazine I'd guess (like everyone else) that any rage from people would be because of the name they chose. If I cared at all about it I might be a little insulted also.

 

[Corpsetaker]

I would rather pay money and get the equivalent of an actual Dragon magazine than get this for free.

Also, why do we get the whole "why are you complaining cause it's free" thrown in our faces whenever we say we don't like it?

A dog will do a free poo in your garden but that doesn't mean I'm going to like it. Free stuff tends to be of a lower quality and that is what Dragon+ plus is. They used the name in a disingenuous way in our to get us running to grab it only to find out that it's not what they made it out to be.

 

[fuindordm]

I don't understand the backlash either.
Yes, the name "Dragon+" got our hopes up a bit, but did anyone really think it would contain 50 pages of gaming articles? It's not like they've called for submissions or anything.
In this issue there was an interview with Ed Greenwood that I found mildly interesting, a walk down memory lane which was fun for the nostalgia factor and screenshots if nothing else, a short story that I liked, a cute article on dice rituals, and a funny cartoon. All for free. I skipped the press releases and the ads because I know I'm not going to buy those products, but some people in a lower age bracket with more free time on their hands might.
Frankly, for a free magazine, I'm pleasantly surprised.

 

[Morrus]

Also, why do we get the whole "why are you complaining cause it's free" thrown in our faces whenever we say we don't like it?

Because opposing viewpoints are permitted here. It's a tough world!

 

[Corpsetaker]

I don't understand the backlash either.
Yes, the name "Dragon+" got our hopes up a bit, but did anyone really think it would contain 50 pages of gaming articles? It's not like they've called for submissions or anything.
In this issue there was an interview with Ed Greenwood that I found mildly interesting, a walk down memory lane which was fun for the nostalgia factor and screenshots if nothing else, a short story that I liked, a cute article on dice rituals, and a funny cartoon. All for free. I skipped the press releases and the ads because I know I'm not going to buy those products, but some people in a lower age bracket with more free time on their hands might.
Frankly, for a free magazine, I'm pleasantly surprised.

That interview with Ed Greenwood is not new.

I could see if some of this stuff was exclusive to the app but it's not. All it contains is basically links to the D&D site as well as some other sites and facebook.

 

[Corpsetaker]

Because opposing viewpoints are permitted here. It's a tough world!

Oh I have no problem with opposing views. I just don't understand the notion that we are supposed to like it because it's free.