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Message: <blockquote data-quote="JeffB" data-source="post: 376404" data-attributes="member: 518">Well, I’ve gone through this before on the umpteen threads previous….Sigh…1)    Cut out the heavy themed issues. I can kinda be lenient about 300 since it WAS an October issue, but last year’s October issue tackled the themes much better. Monte’s article on “how vile  is your game”  was pretty useless. A paragraph could have sufficed on such a subject i.e. If you plan on doing something in the game that may be “Vile” discuss it with your group”…end of story. I don’t need a multi-page breakdown on it. Fact is, that the more narrow the theme, the less useful it is to the majority of readers. October and April (perhaps) I can see as having themes, otherwise, nope. The Stronghold issue was totally worthless to me. I won’t begrudge those who need that stuff, but the majority of an entire issue? Same with the Elves, and Psionist, and Dwarf and Drow, and Underdark, and blah blah blah issues.  I don’t use Psionics: majority of issue is worthless. On the things that ARE core (mosteveryone uses Elves, or Dwarves) Split that content up over the year. A cool article on Dwarven language. Then next month one on maybe Dwarven Ale..whatever. There were far fewer themed issues in the past, and when they did do one, it was rarely the majority of the mag.2)    I don’t mind stuff like PRClasses. Let’s see more how to articles instead of “here we completed the project for you”. I like tools, not completed projects that I may or may not (usually) use.3)    Personally I like Ed’s articles, and I don’t even game in the Realms. How bout mixing those articles up with Prclasses and Feats and whatnot that tie-in. Like the Halfling Brewery which is a Zhentarim front thing that was in one of his articles a few issues ago..How about a Zhent Prclasses to go with that?..Zhent spy or something. Most of the Prclasses I’ve sen in Dragon are so bizarre I would never use them for NPC’s let alone PC’s. They always seem to be tied into some “kewl” new feats or abilities. How about using them for Organizations that might grant feats that help with RP aspects (Underground Contacts: You can use this feat once a week to get piece of information you have been seeking…etc etc..) Instead.we get “Improved Super-Sneak Attack” and similar drivel.4)    Living GH Journal has gone downhill. When it was a separate entity it was very well rounded..PR classes, campaign news, Maps, Info on the City of GH, Adventure Hooks, etc. Other than “Drow” issue, it’s been a front for more prestige classes lately. How about some articles on GH history, creation Myth, Locales, Lore, rumors, etc. Other than Alan’s article on GH  magic items (which while a great article Alan, and I appreciate the work was not terribly useful if you didn’t have all those books). What’s happened to the Ghost Tower of Inverness? What’s Rary up to? Older Dragon Mags supplied this kind of info (either Gary’s stuff, or the Campaign Classics series in the early 200’s).5)    Silicon Sorcery. Aye…this needs to go. An excuse to put it more feats and spells, etc. How many people use this?, really?  I don’t even read it.6)    How about some Industry news? The Ennies? GenCon? You don’t have to devote 10 pages an issue but a page or two every couple of issues is not a big deal, is it?7)    Sage Advice takes up WAY too much space per issue. Especially when the questions can be answered by reading the rulebook (remember “why does an ½ Orc get a total –2 (or whatever) to his ability scores?” Do we need a paragraph explaining that? There’s usually a question or two like that each issue..How about  “read the rulebook..page XX” (or don’t even bother putting it in).8)    Not everyone who reads Dragon is looking to break away from the classic themes of the game. E.G. Steampunk & GH2000  articles, however cool, should be on the website or split up over the course of time..not in the same issue (see #1 above). If you are going to do an article on Sorcerer’s how about writing some “alt. Sorcerers” not from a rules standpoint but from a standpoint of  “In your game Sorcerers need not be considered Dragon Blooded, perhaps they were X, perhaps They are Z, etc etc.) 9)    I’m all for fluff..the Ed G articles and similar…people complain about that kind of stuff, yet they have no problem with 10 pages of Fiction..blech…I’ve never liked Fiction in Dragon unless it was  small part of an otherwise gaming-related article. And I certainly don’t want to see STATS for the characters.10)    PC Portraits. How useful are these to people? Really? The art is certainly of lesser quality than usual for Dragon..if you ARE going to do it, do it right: Let Sam wood, Wayne Reynolds or whomever do it.11)    No more political BS from Johnny Wilson. I could care less what his feelings about Criminals not being able to play D&D are. One article was way too much. 12)    One thing the old Mags did was expand upon released product..though in recent years it seems to be more of “stuff from the cutting room floor”. How about articles like we saw about the Rod of Seven Parts box (where they gave advice on tying the box set into the various campaign settings). How about an expansion to the Sunless Citadel perhaps with a short but detailed history of the place? A 3E Perspective on Sigil? A mini-adventure that features a new critter in the MM2? More mini-campaigns (not necessarily having to do with a certain campaign world, but certain themes…Invasion, natural disasters, Political (or monster territory) uprisings, the fall of a decadent society, genocide, planes/dimensions/alternate timelines colliding, etc.etc.I’m sure I could come up with more but that’s all the time I have for now.</blockquote>

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