A New DRAGON+?

You got a message from Dragon+? Via email?

 

[Kramodlog]

No one outside of WotC is privy to that, but are you really disputing the point?

Yes, cause we do not know what the truth is. Speculation is not fact.

If the tabletop game wasn't a tertiary revenue stream, that's where they'd be focusing their efforts. As it is, Sword Coast Legends and Neverwinter appear to be taking the #1 and #2 spots in terms of promotion.

But that doesn't tell me what sort of money it brings in. Or the RPG. I do know that the video game market is big. Bigger than the film industry. It is understandable why WotC wants a piece of it. But what piece of it they are getting, will get, and what sort of revenues from the RPG they are getting, like eveyone here, I have no clue and won't pretend that I do.

Anyone saying otherwise is deluding themselves.

 

[Talmek]

UA is well hidden on the site. I would prefer the content be consolidated someplace.

I'm living in the same nightmare as you, friend. I have completed WotC's survey a number of times, with my #1 complaint being difficulty finding what I'm looking for. It's a visually appealing one-stop shop...except I can't find what I'm looking for and go elsewhere to try to find it! (Like here, where others have linked straight to the goods...)

Sadly, I must agree with a number of folks who have already posted to say that D+ is ad-filled with no real TTRPG content. With a name like Dragon+ it is a bit misleading to those of us who were longtime subscribers of the original Dragon (or Dungeon) magazines.

I really, REALLY hope they do something more with the app than what they currently are.

 

[Parmandur]

I just do not know how the RPG performed financially and what sort of royalties WotC gets from the compagnies who make the video games, so I won't pretend to know that one will make them more money than the others. Especially considering how they still produced lots of RPG books during 4e reign, when video games and DDI were added to the revenue mix.

We don't know specifics, but Neverwinter certainly makes good money: they continue to expand it prodigiously. And the TTRPG is making good money, based on every indication. But, ny virtue of the media, the goal for "good money" is pretty different.

 

[darjr]

No one is in favor of bloat, but it was the stawman of choice to argue against someone who wanted more RPG content*.

But now I think we might have reach a tipping point. Those who took WotC's side on the question of content are starting to show disastifaction. As some people have said in this thread, I think they are now realizing that the RPG is ancillary to the video games.

It is great for those who play video games, and I have no problem with WotC making lots of money with it, it is just that like many people it is the PnP RPG that interest me.


*Because wanting content doesn't automatically mean a desire for bloat or lead to bloat.

Nope. I'm fine with the level of books. Part of my expectation has always been a new dragon. This isn't it.

 

[Corpsetaker]

The main issue I see with Wizards of the Coast is they seem to think they need to focus more on the media aspect when they don't have to.

There is a balance that can be made because you can have a team focused on the RPG while the outside you hire can handle the video games.

Unfortunately, Wizards can't seem to find that balance and it will cost them dearly. Let's not forget all those tools and things we were supposed to have gotten during the release of 4th edition.

 

[Dire Bare]

I can't even complain of the content, or lack thereof, as I can't get the app to work well on either my android tablet or phone (both Samsung Galaxy devices). The app is slow, clunky, buggy, and I can't even read the articles without the thing crapping out on me. I figured with issue one I'd wait it out, but I'm still having the same problems with the 2nd magazine issue.

From what folks have listed, I'd probably be in agreement if I had read it. The content isn't bad, it just isn't really worthwhile spending time with. All of the articles seem to be the kind of thing you'd find in the old Dragon, but surrounding the actual meaty content rather than replacing it. If all those same articles showed up on the website, it wouldn't faze me at all, I'd just ignore them and wait for the next UE article.

Uninstalled.

 

[dd.stevenson]

Read it.

Lost ten minutes of my life, and now I have newfound animosity twoard wotc's marketing team for disrespecting the old mag brands.

 

[Henry]

I agree with [MENTION=184]Agamon[/MENTION] - the problem isn't Dragon+, it is calling it Dragon+ and therefore essentially claiming it to be the successor to Dragon magazine.

Agreed - after reading the second issue it reminds me of Edgar from Men in Black.

On a side note, Dragon, and its later iterations as online/PDF and now app, is a good example of how advancements in technology do not always equate with improvements in content. We've seen three basic versions of "Dragon" now, and they've gotten worse in each iteration. Kind of a bummer.

Implementations of a technology arent always indicators of how good the technology is, but it can be an example of how difficult the technology is to implement correctly. There's a reader survey in this issue too, so i took it - though it only asks for canned responses and offers no ability to freely comment, so the only thing they will get from this is that it's not working for my tastes. I'm sticking around for the third issue (at least the way the have it set up, it's not like it wastes my time) but they won't have a chance to grab me after the third issue - i'm done with it.

Obviously they've got to be having better paying customers than me and I hope it's working for them, because other than the three core books and a big mistake for Prince of the Apocalypse, they havent seen any money from me with all the marginal quality free stuff, and I've probably spent $350 on Paizo in the same time frame between APs, books, novels and minis. As it is, I'm going to be leafing through the Demon AP in the bookstore before I buy because I'm not making the same mistake I did on Princes.

OTOH, I've not regretted a single month of EN5ider and got to use the herbalism article in the game I DMed a couple of weeks ago.

I'm over here screaming, "take my money" and WotC is saying, "nope, nope, but wait, this NEXT product you're gonna love!"

And Paizo and ENworld are over to the side, going, "sshh, just let 'em keep talking, here, we'll take it off your hands..."

 

[Pickles III]

I keep seeing references to D+ and processing it as the rating it has got.

I might go to C- myself

 

[delericho]

UA is well hidden on the site. I would prefer the content be consolidated someplace.

The best way to find things on the Wizards website is to search for them here. There's almost always a link.

Which still makes it preferable to burying it somewhere in D+ - as far as I know, we can't link directly to a specific page in a specific issue of their web app.