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

[Horwath]

As mentioned by @lowkey13 and others, magazines are a dead media that still does not know it is Dead.

probably 90% of them will be gone in 10 years. At least in print.

they cant compete with on-line counterparts.

also, almost every topic has a Youtube video(or 20 of them).

for crying out loud, when a cup holder got stuck in my car, I found YouTube video in 5 second on how do disasemble a car central panel on the EXACT model that I have.

 

[Quartz]

Just for comparison, Railway Modeller magazine sells 31,200 issues here in the UK with 8,700 subscriptions and 22500 shelf sales.

 

[Paul Farquhar]

One would say that about vinyl records some years ago. Heck, even the cassette tape still gets some love in independent music circles. Most media have features that go beyond the information contained within, innovative creators will work with that to create an experience that cannot be exported to a pdf file.

I would say it now. The fact that a few nutty people pay silly money for obsolete tech doesn't make it any less obsolete.

 

[Giltonio_Santos]

I would say it now. The fact that a few nutty people pay silly money for obsolete tech doesn't make it any less obsolete.

I don't want to derail the discussion here, but old does not mean obsolete. I don't have the knowledge to say that this would apply in any way for a discussion of paper vs. digital, but regarding vinyl and cassette, what you're saying is not right. Both media types can provide a specific experience from the point of view of creators and potential listeners. Does it have a wide appeal? Not really, but would you call a person who prefers FLAC over MP3 nutty because it's looking for an experience that mass markets believe is not worth the additional time and money? I wouldn't.

 

[Dausuul]

So... is the poll asking whether I want to see a print magazine in stores? Or whether I think it would be a good idea for WotC to have a print magazine in stores? Because those are two very different questions.

There's a lot of stuff that I, personally, want WotC to do that would not in fact be a good business proposition for them, starting with "Vecna's Guide to Necromancy."

 

[HarbingerX]

Even if WotC could make a profit from a print magazine, I'd be very surprised if it would make enough to make it worthwhile. There are much better ways for WotC to spend their money to increase D&D sales.

 

[Dausuul]

Regarding vinyl and cassette, what you're saying is not right. Both media types can provide a specific experience from the point of view of creators and potential listeners.

Cassette tapes? Really? I know there are vinyl aficionados who think it provides a better sound, but I wasn't aware that anyone felt that way about cassette tapes.

However, your broader point stands. There are plenty of folks who still prefer paper books to electronics. I buy my D&D books in paper form even though I only bring a laptop to the gaming table--much of the pleasure of D&D books, for me, is in reading them on my own, and I much prefer paper to screens for that.

 

[tommybahama]

Really? The second statement isn't true?

How many print genre fiction publications are left?

How many video gaming magazines are left?

This will be my last response to this thread because those who keep pushing "magazines are dead" can't be bothered to Google and find out they are wrong.

The Sci_fi/fantasy and Gaming magazines and comics that died were highly political in their content (Gamergate & Comicsgate anybody?). It's hard to succeed when you continually piss off 70% of your audience with your politics. The same is true for all media, from cable news to film and sports entertainment.

 

[Umbran]

This will be my last response to this thread because those who keep pushing "magazines are dead" can't be bothered to Google and find out they are wrong.

@lowkey13 upthread noted that US print periodicals have fallen $20 billion in revenue from 2007 to 2017. You have not addressed this.

Here's a source that supports lowkey's assessment:

Revenue of U.S. periodical publishers 2018 | Statista

And another:

Magazine & Periodical Publishing in the US - Market Size, Industry Analysis, Trends and Forecasts (2024-2029)| IBISWorld

Expert industry market research on the Magazine & Periodical Publishing in the US (2024-2029). Make better business decisions, faster with IBISWorld's industry market research reports, statistics, analysis, data, trends and forecasts.

www.ibisworld.com

And two more, looking at global, rather than US only, and still reporting falling revenue...

Print magazine revenue worldwide 2020 | Statista

This statistic shows a forecast of global print magazine revenue in 2015 and 2020.

www.statista.com

The Future of the Magazine Industry — Business Today Online Journal

Whether entirely digital or not, magazines will have to move beyond the page in the attempt to remain relevant.

journal.businesstoday.org

So, yeah, I googled it... and what I found does not support your position. While I am not of the position that you need to be continuously growing to be a healthy business, a sector losing $20 billion in revenue in a decade isn't doing well.

Here's a hint: Burden of proof rests on the person making the assertion. If you try to push doing research on your audience, they may not find what you think they'll find...

 

[Marc Radle]

There are a ton of DCC RPG zines that Goodman Games distributes. Kobold Press puts out the very slick Warlock 5E zine.

Thanks for that shout out!!

Warlock is a very cool old school zine format, usually 28 to 32 pages long, with professional production values, great writing by well known industry folks (including none other than ex-Kobold Press, now Wizards designer Dan Dillon) and original art by legends like Larry Elmore, Jeff Dee, Karl Waller, and Jeff Easley!

Warlock focuses on Midgard, the popular Kobold Press campaign setting, but the content can easily be imported into your own game, regardless of setting. New 5th Edition rules material, new spells, monsters, character options and more.

There's lots more, but it's a really cool publication.
Find out more: https://www.patreon.com/koboldpress