D&D 5E Could 5E Use A Branded Magazine In Stores (Again)?

[Bravesteel25]

Pretty much what it says on the tin.

I think, especially with the popularity of D&D, that WotC would be well served by a monthly periodical in stores. It would provide some extra content between releases, especially for those who only want to use WotC material, and it would also be a monthly revenue stream for all the gaming stores out there.

What do you think:

Could some sort of relaunch of DUNGEON and/or DRAGON as a monthly periodical in stores be successful?

If yes, what type of content would you want to see?

If no, what is your reasoning?

 

[Umbran]

No. Print periodicals are extremely difficult to make profitable these days.

Electronic delivery is the better solution these days.

 

[Salthorae]

I'm of two minds. I fully agree with @Umbran here, but at the same time, I never bother to read magazines in e-format, they're just too easy to forget about while a physical magazine is sitting on my table waiting to read.

 

[atanakar]

No. Printed magazines are a thing of the past. Just the distribution costs are prohibitive for niche markets like D&D.

 

[Quartz]

Would I like to see one? Absolutely! Would it be profitable? White Dwarf is still being printed. so maybe.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Umbran]

I never bother to read magazines in e-format

So, here's the thing - they don't need to do "magazine in e-format". They don't need to make a magazine, make a pdf of it, and send it to you. That's not really adapting to the new terrain.

There's a bunch of different ways to create and deliver content that keeps people engaged in the game. Instead of having Dungeon magazine, they put up a store in which anyone can put up adventure material. Instead of printing new classes in Dragon, they do Unearthed Arcana docs, and so on. They can put up articles on their website, do podcasts, have videos of actual gameplay, and so on.

Basically, they have already considered this, and decided that all the stuff that used to go into Dungeon and Dragon magazines can be delivered differently... and they are already doing that.

 

[Ralif Redhammer]

I would love to see Dragon magazine return. Dragon played an important role in me getting into the hobby and then getting back into the hobby years later.

Could it work? I don't know. There are still a plenty of print magazines out there that show no sign of stopping anytime soon.

As far as the content goes, I think it would have to be different from the old Dragon - I think more of an emphasis on culture, lore, art, interviews, and reviews than rules and crunch.

 

[Morrus]

Could I use one? Yep. Does 5E need one? No.

 

[Tallifer]

I am 54 years old, and even I do not buy dead tree magazines anymore unless I take a long flight overseas.