Pathfinder 1E Paizo no longer publishing Dungeon and Dragon

[Arkhandus]

This makes me sad.....

Dragon, and the occasional Dungeon, are the only D&D products I've bought since 2003 or 2004 (and off the newsstands, where they're more expensive, no less).

I will sorely miss the joy of seeing a new Dragon issue every month to amuse me on the bus rides to and from college. Good luck Paizo. And damn you Wizards.

I won't be going anywhere near WotC's electronic D&D content most likely (most definitely if it's in the form of PDFs or some other subscription to digital content - blech). I vastly prefer paper media to the online crud that makes my eyes sore from staring or my hands sore from typing. I don't buy PDFs.

Unfortunately, adventure modules and adventure paths aren't my thing either, and I rarely have much need for published adventures. So I won't be picking up Pathfinder or the like. Dragon and Polyhedron were always more my cup o' tea than Dungeon (though I've still bought Dungeon on occasion, it just isn't the kind of content I prefer to buy).

 

[Razz]

I first discovered this on the WotC Website. My first reaction was "Wow...this has to be because of their online e-zine."

My next feeling was similar to everyone else here. I will no longer have the feeling of rushing home to see if my next issue of Dragon arrived in the mail, pouring through it eagerly and giving each of the material a place in my games.

I began subscribing to Dragon for a few reasons.

1) It was more D&D material

2) It supported all sorts of books produced by WotC

3) It was 100% D&D official content (I am one of those official-only guys)

I feel sad because I believe Dragon and Dungeon have been producing better and better material in their magazines while WotC's material in their books have been decreasing constantly.

But everyone here needs to calm down and pay attention to this: Griping about what evil WotC has done and boycotting their online e-zine AND their future D&D books is only going to hurt D&D even more! How do you know for a fact that the e-zine won't be as good as Dragon/Dungeon? I am willing to give it a try for some time before I make random assumptions.

I was already prepared for this and the rest of you should have as well. I own a laptop. I bring my laptop to my sessions. I am always on my desktop to do my D&D preparations for the next session and I own several WotC books on PDF because it's a real bitch lugging them around all over the place. It's nice to have them, like a shelf of encyclopedias to make you look smart does, but I honestly don't believe the lot of you here really pack 15+ D&D books and haul them to your sessions.

I don't lug around battlemaps nor do I use miniatures. I use a very famous softward program called Campaign Cartographer and using Dungeon and City Designer Pro with it and it works WONDERS when it comes to making your own battlemaps, world maps, or whatever you want to visually create. It's cheaper and a lot easier to handle.

I have already entered the digital age and it's about time we all should too, because that's where the future lies whether you like it or not. I also do not hope this WotC e-zine fails or else you can say goodbye to anymore D&D content if it does.

I am hurt that Dragon and Dungeon are gone, but let's not panic and raise pitchforks and torches to WotC.

I think the only choice we have at this point is to give full support to this WotC e-zine.


The only things I worry about at this point are two things:

1) If this e-zine fails

2) If WotC's e-zine content is as crappy as some of their books lately and not as good as what Paizo had produced

 

[Matchstick]

Let me say it: ONLINE STUFF SUCKS TO TRY TO READ. Not the text, but the medium. You can have the best writers in the world. ONLINE STUFF SUCKS. Unless you can hold a book or magazine in your hands, it sucks. Ever try to sit on the toilet and READ YOUR LAPTOP? WTF?

Laptop screens are not large enough for me to run a game at my table, and it's not my job to be printing this crap out (print outs suck too).

Anybody notice that online books haven't exactly taken off? It's because the medium sucks to read. It sucks to hold in your hands (oh, my laptop isn't quite like having real paper in my hands). It sucks to see.

..

I couldn't agree more. I'm as computer saavy as anyone. I have a wireless network at home, two laptops and a desktop. Heck, I use Fantasy Grounds to play RPG's on the computer. But you know what? For content like that provided by Dungeon and Dragon I don't WANT it electronically. I want to be able to sit on the deck when it's nice out and read it. I want to be able to sit ANYWHERE I BLOODY WELL WANT TO and read it.

I do a lot of things on the computer, reading a magazine is not one of them.

 

[Jefe Bergenstein]

This sucks incredibly hard. Dungeon was easily the best money spent for a busy DM. Subcriptions were incredibly cheap... what 75 dollars/year for both mags? The new pathfinder series is nearly 3 times that. Even with no ads, you're paying considerably more for product. Dungeon cranked out 3-4 adventures per month. Even if you didnt like the adventure path, you still had something to use. It sounds like pathfinder is JUST adventure path material. And to add insult to injury, Paizo loses out on non-SRD monsters. Bye bye beholders, umber hulks, carrion cralwers and the lovable monsters that actually make D&D, D&D. not to mention non-core classes, spells, feats, etc.

I guess I could subscribe to WotC's website (what, 15-20 bucks a month probably) for the privelege of printing the same stuff out myself.

Its a lose-lose more situation.

Incidentally what happens to Demonomicron/Core Beliefs?

 

[LordVyreth]

I'm getting the "gut-punch" feeling myself. I agree that reading large texts online are hard to read, and just not as viable a solution in the first place. I don't own a laptop, so I'd have to reprint everything, and I like to read magazines away from the computer in the first place. That's half the point for me. The gym, the office stairmaster, or just in bed or during breakfast are perfect places for some light reading. And the history is huge for this magazine to me. I started D&D thanks to the Pool of Radiance video game, but I started reading Dragon shortly afterwards. I actually thought it was for some ultra-elaborate video game when I first started reading them! Hey, I was a kid, I was stupid, what do you want from me?

Damn, I have to offer Jason Bulmahn my condolences the next time I see him. Do you know what the plans are for the Dragon/Dungeon editors specifically?

The only good new for me is this part, honestly.

From the FAQ:

How can I submit material for publication in Pathfinder?

Pathfinder is going to need monsters, and lots of them, and they're the easiest way to break in to this exciting new publication. If we like your monster, we'll print it in an upcoming Pathfinder Bestiary; it may even end up with a role in that volume's adventure! We're currently discussing other ways to open up Pathfinder so that we'll have room for fan-submitted articles and content; stay tuned to paizo.com/Pathfinder for details and submission guidelines as they become available.

That's my favorite submission type anyway. Of course, now EVERYBODY's going to try that route, so who knows if I'll ever see a submission get published? Should we be working on themes of monsters here, or more like Creature Catalogs like *sob* Dragon used to make?

 

[sckeener]

Wow. I really did not see this coming.

Many of us did the moment we had to take an online survey from WotC asking us if we'd pay for online articles. I just thought they'd publish first and cancel Dragon and Dungeon second.

Still not sure what to think about Wizards' digital plans, but I plan to hold hostility over this for some time.

I'm wondering want other game settings are popular enough for me to switch over to...

I'm thinking Ars Magica at the moment....

 

[MrFilthyIke]

I'm devastated. My dearest, who just started gaming just three years ago, is also devastated.

I just can't express the sadness I'm feeling right now.

I am so ANGRY at whoever took this decision at Wizards. That's outrageous!

I'm also happy Paizo will go on and has new ventures in sight. Guys, you did and do a terrific job. Game Mastery, Pathfinder... you have my support, my friends. Please relay my thanks and support to the staff. You guys rock!!!

Well said.

And I'd also like to thank Erik and the others that made the end of both Dragon and Dungeon magazines a great experience.

 

[HellHound]

I'm wondering want other game settings are popular enough for me to switch over to...

I'm thinking Ars Magica at the moment....

I've gone back to running CyberPunk 2020 and Star Frontiers.

 

[crazy_cat]

*snip*

I don't want an online ezine or whatever they call it - 'cos thats just marketing speak for a website. You can dress it up as whatever you like, but its not a magazine, or a book, or an ezine or an ebook - its a website.

I want a magazine, on paper, that I can read in bed, or in the bath, or on the sofa, or in teh kitchen, or on a train, or in the car, or in the work canteen, or on a plane, or a beach or in the park.

A magazine. Or a book. Made of paper.

 

[der_kluge]

It isn't like they have a lot of choice with the loss of all the non-SRD WotC creatures for their adventure content.

What - every 3rd party monster book not good enough for 'em? pshaw!