What do you want to see in a new magazine?

[DM-Rocco]

Some of you know by now that a few ENWorlders and myself are creating a magazine. IT is called Dragon Roots: A Magazine For Gamers By Gamers. A thread on ENWorld is started here: http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=204098 and you can find more information about our magazine at www.dragonroots.net.

So, keeping true to our sub-title, we want to hear from the gaming community. What do you want to see in a new gaming magazine?

What did you like and hate about Dragon/Dungeon?

What do you hate/like about other magazines?

Voice your likes and dislikes. It is a new magazine, anything goes

 

[Wystan]

I would like a Cheap PDF subscription. (Or even a reasonable print subscription) Or both.


Mini-Adventures (sub-plots type things.)

 

[tyoda]

Fiction in Dragon

I *never* read the fiction in DRAGON. They were wasted pages.

I liked what DRAGON was doing toward the end with small sections about the different major settings (Forgotten Realms, Eberron, etc.)

 

[finarvyn]

I would like to see a gaming publication that most resembles the early issues of Dragon.
1. Print rather than PDF.
2. Black printing on clean white paper, not strange colors on other strange colors.
3. Decent sized font for easy reading.
4. Crisp B&W line artwork interior, color cover optional.

As far as content goes, I would like to see articles about how to plan a dungeon, map a city, design a world. I get tired of someone doing these things for me and then publishing it because to me much of this is filler, and think that general articles helping people design their own materials are more useful overall.

If the magazine wants to pre-make materials, you might consider the idea of picking one campaign world and sticking with it. This can even be an original campaign setting unique to the publication. Think about Judges Guild from the 1970's and their "Wilderlands" campaign where each module or adventure had a specific place to occur in their world. They gave us a city-state, a haunted house, several villages, and more. All tied together into a single campaign, and most of it came as parts of their magazine subscription.

Giving player tips seems better than extra classes. Having DM tricks that can be used in a home-brew campaign would be useful. I guess I would like to see an emphasis on how to play rather than enless monster ecology type articles and the like that (to me) don't enhance the gaming experience at all.

Just my two cents.

 

[Raven Crowking]

* Materials that can be used for any edition. This includes things like adventure design, worldbuilding, game elements that transcend edition, etc. The magazine should be as interesting to grognards -- more interesting, maybe -- as it is to those picking up the new edition.

* Speaking of the new edition, if it isn't OGL, forget about it. Specifically cover only 3.5, 3.0, and other OGL games like OSIRIC.

* Print media, if possible.

* OGL format. The old EN World Gamer was full of OGL content, and that was absolutely wonderful.

* New monsters that work for more than one thing, instead of being a 5-round combat machine.

* New magic items that seem magical. I would love to see a better Item Creation system that allows anything to be made, but barring this I'd sooner see some more Minor Artifacts that are more than just "cast this spell for free".

RC

 

[DragonLancer]

I would like to see a gaming publication that most resembles the early issues of Dragon.

This is a must IMO. The issues up until the early 90's were, IMO, the best I've ever read. Less crunch and more useful fluff.

1. Print rather than PDF.
2. Black printing on clean white paper, not strange colors on other strange colors.
3. Decent sized font for easy reading.
4. Crisp B&W line artwork interior, color cover optional.

As far as content goes, I would like to see articles about how to plan a dungeon, map a city, design a world. I get tired of someone doing these things for me and then publishing it because to me much of this is filler, and think that general articles helping people design their own materials are more useful overall.

If the magazine wants to pre-make materials, you might consider the idea of picking one campaign world and sticking with it. This can even be an original campaign setting unique to the publication. Think about Judges Guild from the 1970's and their "Wilderlands" campaign where each module or adventure had a specific place to occur in their world. They gave us a city-state, a haunted house, several villages, and more. All tied together into a single campaign, and most of it came as parts of their magazine subscription.

Giving player tips seems better than extra classes. Having DM tricks that can be used in a home-brew campaign would be useful. I guess I would like to see an emphasis on how to play rather than enless monster ecology type articles and the like that (to me) don't enhance the gaming experience at all.

I fully agree here that this is what is needed.

The real question comes up as to whether you zine will be 4th ed or 3.X. I'd only be interested if it was 3.X

 

[Raven Crowking]

As far as content goes, I would like to see articles about how to plan a dungeon, map a city, design a world. I get tired of someone doing these things for me and then publishing it because to me much of this is filler, and think that general articles helping people design their own materials are more useful overall.

I fully endorse this post.

Listen to finarvyn, and you are unlikely to go wrong.

RC

 

[KingCrab]

I wasn't into Dragon. I was such a big fan of Dungeon, that I would be interested in a bigger version of Dungeon. More pages per issue is what I'd want.

 

[The_Gneech]

Print! Print! Print! If you want to do PDF's, those are good too, as long as you do PRINT.

Coverage of more than just D&D would be a big plus.

I agree with the "less crunch, more useful fluff" comment.

Scenario hooks, interesting NPCs, cool items or monsters, all good.

Color entirely unnecessary.

-The Gneech

 

[smootrk]

Print ability is a must, and in a way where users can use the material piecemeal to create their own 'binder' of add-on material.

Critters need to be in every issues, preferably in a long format 'Ecology of' style. Over time, your mag could become the definitive monster source if there is a full write-up plus leveled variations plus full ecology etc.

Maps... maps in usable form. in the PDF offerings, offer the maps done as printable battlemaps. I don't mind the magazine having smaller maps for reference & reading, but setup battlemaps for actual use, at least as separate web-enhancements.

Create a setting or two to 'host' your creations. It can be piecemeal at first, rather like the way the Forgotten Realms came to us as bits and pieces in Dragon Magazine in the bygone days. Then, your magazine becomes something of a setting support document in addition to general bits&pieces for gaming. I can smell extra compilations or setting guides as future products if you go this route.

Tie this all together with sound advice, q&a, support for other 'related products' such as True20 or Basic Fantasy Roleplay or OSRIC, and decent artwork! Artwork! ARTWORK! ARTWORK! The visual appeal must be there. I cannot imagine a fantasy product that is a success without good artwork to spark imaginations.

get after it!