GVDammerung
First Post
I recall Gaming Frontiers Magazine that went for $20 and tried to cover all of d20. It died. No point, just saying.
As to Dragon. I'd be willing to pay up to $10. Beyond that we are in module country, not magazine country, IMO.
That $10 is, however, conditional:
1) Must have regular Greyhawk or pseudo-Greyhawk content (Demonomicon etc.); no Hawk and I fly;
2) Content must be sufficiently substantial to approach "mini-sourcebook" status, although such need not all be in the same issue. Example, the Dagon article works extremely well with the Livre Aquatha article and the Ecology of the Kraken article, those from about a year before Dagon. Example, the Far Realms mega article.
3) Articles that look to "do it all" must continue - articles that provide simultaneously fluff, PrCs, monsters, spells, maps etc. (but not necessarily everything in every article). The Demonomicon articles do a good job of this, as did the Far Realms article. I have no interest in narrow, niche articles - 10 new thiefly/gnomishetc. magic items! BLEH!
General advice:
1) The days when Dragon can offer a grab bag of this and that every issue are long gone. There are too many other sources for such. Dragon needs to do whatever it does extremely well and in a way that cannot be easily duplicated for free on the web. Coordinated content. In depth content. Content that expands on the canon of Wotc IP (with cool maps!). These are things D&D fans have only rarely been able to produce and/or distribute/get on the web for free. Dragon needs to go where the fans cannot otherwise easily go themselves via the web.
2) The First Watch, especially the expanded video game advert/articles, are the wrong way to go, as there are many other and more focused specialist sources.
3) Reviews are the wrong way to go (in case you think otherwise) as EN World and other sites have taken over the review function (better as the reviews are by multiple fans and not disguised puff pieces).
4) Small, collection of stuff articles need to be used with extreme caution as levening or filler around the more in depth articles, coordinated, completist articles. Class Acts, while greatly improved, needs to go. No regular "collection of stuff" articles unless such are coordinated with other content (which again need not be in the same issue always)
5) Mosty importantly, Dragon needs to redevelop a sense of community. Dungeon has done this with the APs. People talk about the APs consistently and thus Dungeon. Dragon needs to enter the conversation as regularly and not just as the place for Dungeon's AP overflow. How to do this? I think the foregoing is a start but I think ultimately it is catching lightening in a bottle.
YMMV
As to Dragon. I'd be willing to pay up to $10. Beyond that we are in module country, not magazine country, IMO.
That $10 is, however, conditional:
1) Must have regular Greyhawk or pseudo-Greyhawk content (Demonomicon etc.); no Hawk and I fly;
2) Content must be sufficiently substantial to approach "mini-sourcebook" status, although such need not all be in the same issue. Example, the Dagon article works extremely well with the Livre Aquatha article and the Ecology of the Kraken article, those from about a year before Dagon. Example, the Far Realms mega article.
3) Articles that look to "do it all" must continue - articles that provide simultaneously fluff, PrCs, monsters, spells, maps etc. (but not necessarily everything in every article). The Demonomicon articles do a good job of this, as did the Far Realms article. I have no interest in narrow, niche articles - 10 new thiefly/gnomishetc. magic items! BLEH!
General advice:
1) The days when Dragon can offer a grab bag of this and that every issue are long gone. There are too many other sources for such. Dragon needs to do whatever it does extremely well and in a way that cannot be easily duplicated for free on the web. Coordinated content. In depth content. Content that expands on the canon of Wotc IP (with cool maps!). These are things D&D fans have only rarely been able to produce and/or distribute/get on the web for free. Dragon needs to go where the fans cannot otherwise easily go themselves via the web.
2) The First Watch, especially the expanded video game advert/articles, are the wrong way to go, as there are many other and more focused specialist sources.
3) Reviews are the wrong way to go (in case you think otherwise) as EN World and other sites have taken over the review function (better as the reviews are by multiple fans and not disguised puff pieces).
4) Small, collection of stuff articles need to be used with extreme caution as levening or filler around the more in depth articles, coordinated, completist articles. Class Acts, while greatly improved, needs to go. No regular "collection of stuff" articles unless such are coordinated with other content (which again need not be in the same issue always)
5) Mosty importantly, Dragon needs to redevelop a sense of community. Dungeon has done this with the APs. People talk about the APs consistently and thus Dungeon. Dragon needs to enter the conversation as regularly and not just as the place for Dungeon's AP overflow. How to do this? I think the foregoing is a start but I think ultimately it is catching lightening in a bottle.
YMMV
