Dragon/Dungeon for November

[UngainlyTitan]

snip

I think D&D is on a razor thin profit margin based on the way a lot of the stuff comes out to us and what I see happening to a lot of the content and staff. I'm a little saddened as layoff season comes up this year as well.

I think you are right, I also think that they are chronically short staffed and the issues with declining content and failure to update the electronic tools is further evidence of this.

I'm hoping that they can strategically realign and start churning out more money. You can say whatever you want about greed, a rosier financial outlook will cause more investment in the brand and better production values. And better content.

I would hopeso too, I think that they need a better epub strategy, they reallt need to find a way to get Dragon and Dungeon on iPads and Kindle type devices.
I wonder at the end of the print era how muc of Dragon and Dungeo was bought retail and how much was subscription.

 

[Scribble]

I would hope for it too, but I don't see it happening. When Wizards was printing money (Pika Pika) Hasbro wasn't happy anout thier margins, and that ended years ago. D&D will never be as profitable as Monopoly, and Hasbro won't be happy until it is.

Do you have evidence of this, or is this just an assumption?

I would hopeso too, I think that they need a better epub strategy, they reallt need to find a way to get Dragon and Dungeon on iPads and Kindle type devices.

Yeah- especially since they have an entirely digital magazine. They really should start offering it on these devices.

I get a strong feeling that they are gearing up to start releasing the D&D stuff on these devices soon though. With the new format for the books..

Especially now that B&N announced a color nook.

 

[GMforPowergamers]

Yeah- especially since they have an entirely digital magazine. They really should start offering it on these devices.

I get a strong feeling that they are gearing up to start releasing the D&D stuff on these devices soon though. With the new format for the books..

Especially now that B&N announced a color nook.

you know I would kill for that...I just hope it is true...

 

[UngeheuerLich]

sadly it is no e-ink screen.

Those are in development too, but will be too expensive for a while...

 

[Scribble]

sadly it is no e-ink screen.

Those are in development too, but will be too expensive for a while...

Yeah it's not e-ink, but it's color, and relatively inexpensive. (Relatively.)

And if they sold the books through B&N we'd even be able to "lend" them to friends.

With the recent survey, and the re-formatting of the books, I can't see them not going the digital book route.

 

[mudbunny]

FWIW, I have not yet heard anything from my contacts within WotC about whether there will or will not be an update next tuesday.

 

[Dire Bare]

What offends me most is how they use holidays as an excuse not to provide content. If holidays really did impact their ability to generate content, then it would manifest itself differently because of the lead time required. They [should have] made November's magazines a couple months ago. A better (but still weak) excuse would be: "Due to the higher than normal number of holidays in November, February's D&D mags will have less content." Of course, that would highlight the absurdity of it all.

It's also lame that the compilations at the end of the month (which provide no new content) count as 2 days worth of content.

Regular magazines wouldn't even try to pull this kind of stuff. In this case, the advantages of the digital format are being abused to the maximum benefit of the publisher.

At the very least, can my subscription fee be prorated by the number of days with no new content?

While content is released in smaller chunks throughout the month, the magazines remain monthly, not daily, periodicals. You aren't being "shorted" on days with no content.

Complaints that content is shrinking or lacking in quality, are fair enough. But to insinuate that WotC is somehow abusing the trust of their customers by "shorting" them content during months with holidays or "short" months (February, I'm looking at you), is unfair at best.

 

[Reaper Steve]

While content is released in smaller chunks throughout the month, the m You aren't being "shorted" on days with no content.

Complaints that content is shrinking or lacking in quality, are fair enough. But to insinuate that WotC is somehow abusing the trust of their customers by "shorting" them content during months with holidays or "short" months (February, I'm looking at you), is unfair at best.

I do realize it is a monthly periodical, but I also have the distinct impression that we get less content in months with less business days.

Yes, I should back that up with a month-by-month analysis of numbers of articles per month and number of holidays, but it's not worth the effort to me right now. But I must ask: If there is the same amount of content each month, regardless of holidays, then why don't they have the articles auto-post every Mon-Fri, holiday or not?

My perceptions:
1) there is less content than there used to be
2) by not providing content on holidays, they are either a) providing less content, or b) exacerbating the perception of less.

If I paid monthly, I may reconsider. But I got a great deal on an annual subscription. So, even though I perceive less content, I also don't need to make a decision in the near future about continuing to pay. I will reconsider when it comes time to renew, and hopefully things will have improved by then.

 

[Derulbaskul]

(snip the semantics)

There is less content than before. That's a basic fact.

 

[Mirtek]

This content gets less and less every month. It's almost gone, as far as I'm concerned.

My thoughts exactly and I have turned off my auto-renew last month after their "explanation" about the missed-update-issue