D20 MODERN Magazine!

[Kanegrundar]

I would buy a magazine devoted to D20 Modern and the products that have branched off of it. Sure, there's a few ezines and products that come close to filling this niche, but a printed magazine could draw more players to the game.

 

[Ranger REG]

Unless D20 Modern has a *lot* bigger player base than the SWRPG, I just don't see a print magazine supporting it being viable.

WotC / Paizo tried "Star Wars Gamer", and it died due to lack of ad sales and lack of subscriptions.

That and readers didn't like the extra stuff like LucasArts games and non-RPGs.

But the title did say "Gamer," not "Roleplayer," but everyone assume it should be a RPG magazine since WotC was publishing them.

Unless Paizo could somehow be convinced that D20M has a *much* bigger draw, I don't think they'd be willing to even try.

Oh, they tried. Polyhedron went commercial but got stuck in the back of Dungeon, so Dung readers didn't like that. I didn't like it too, but it's better than nothing, right? I was tolerant, Dung readers ain't. And now Poly's gone, and I'm no longer buying Dung.

 

[Roudi]

The reason I ask is because I got the impression you'd submit material to such a venture, and MODERNIZED is currently looking for articles for its next three issues. If you (or anyone else) is interested in submitting material, contact MODERNIZED@Gmail.com.

Oh Lords, if I had the money to turn MODERNIZED into a print venture. I think looking back on the "failure" of Polyhedron as proof of the unviability of a d20 Modern magazine is somewhat flawed. Using Polyhedron, a mini-magazine attached to another, very different magazine, was a pitiful attempt at testing the waters. With aggressive marketing and confident investment, I believe a d20 Modern magazine could go far. I don't think there's any way for Wizards to do it, however, as WotC would have to perform a major gearshift and start paying more attention (in terms of products, support, etc) to the d20 Modern game than they are now. Honestly, since the 3rd party market is left with the job of supporting d20 Modern (and has been doing a better one of it, in my humble opinion), then it is the 3rd party market we should look to for a d20 Modern periodical. The Modern Dispatch is a great step towards this. Hopefully the day will come when one of the big 3rd party d20 Modern supporters has enough capital and enough hutspah to create a print periodical for d20 Modern.

Ranger REG... I somehow think your abbreviation of Dungeon, and the word it coincides with, is deliberate.

 

[Vigilance]

Oh Lords, if I had the money to turn MODERNIZED into a print venture. I think looking back on the "failure" of Polyhedron as proof of the unviability of a d20 Modern magazine is somewhat flawed. Using Polyhedron, a mini-magazine attached to another, very different magazine, was a pitiful attempt at testing the waters.

Except that wasn't what happened. Poly started out as a seperate magazine that couldnt sustain itself. Pairing it with Dungeon was a last ditch effort to keep the magazine around.

Unfortunately I must conclude that there isnt enough of an audience to support a modern print magazine.

I am also of the opinion that MOST (as in virtually all) magazines and news papers will shift to being electronic enterprises over the next 10 years.

Chuck

 

[Roudi]

Except that wasn't what happened. Poly started out as a seperate magazine that couldnt sustain itself. Pairing it with Dungeon was a last ditch effort to keep the magazine around.

Ah. Serves me right, spouting off about something I obviously don't know about. I think I'll refrain from making such assumptions in the future.

 

[Vigilance]

Ah. Serves me right, spouting off about something I obviously don't know about. I think I'll refrain from making such assumptions in the future.

Heh I didnt think that's what you were doing

Just pointing out a gaming magazine is a very tricky entity to make profitable, which is why WOTC didnt want to keep the magazines in house...

I dont think there's enough of a market for a magazine for any other game than D&D and I wonder if there's a market for TWO magazines for that.

Chuck

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

I voted yes, but it all depends on what it's target is. If it's strictly d20 Modern "dungeons" and adventures, then no - I'd stick with picking and choosing from Modern Dispatch releases. But if it was less adventure-centric I'd pick it up.

I would like to see more adventures - that's more useful to me than new Advanced Classes. Modern Dispatch is only a few pages long. I'd like to see some adventures as long as the ones in Dungeon Magazine. You could have themes - eg every fourth week is generic non-FX, with subscriptions to one or more themes.

I don't think I'd buy a subscription if every other adventure is Urban Arcana stuff.

 

[Prest0]

And other people would only buy *if* every other issue (at least) was Urban Arcana stuff. That's another reason why a d20 Modern magazine would be a tricky proposition. The Future folks would feel like there was too much Past material, the Past folks would feel like there was too much Military material, and the Arcana folks would wonder why there was too much Future, Past, and Military material! d20 Modern covers a lot of territory, and no matter how you sliced it someone (and possibly everyone) would feel short-changed. At least Modern Dispatch gives you several different genres of gaming material, since it's written by four different publishers. I don't really have an answer for the "I have to hold it in my hand" crowd, but for those who favor function over form it's the best deal in town. I mean, come on! It's a lousy dollar an issue for the subscription. You can spend more than that on a trip to the vending machine.

 

[Vigilance]

I don't really have an answer for the "I have to hold it in my hand" crowd

Well, as I said above, I think that crowd is going to find its selection of dead tree newspapers and magazines slowly dwindling to almost nothing, if "holding it in your hand" does not include a palm pilot.

I just don't think dead tree magazines and newspapers are that viable anymore. There's so many entertainment choices, that you can't command enough market share.

Entertainment magazines are affected by this fracturing of marketshare as 3 TV stations has become 300, and why read a newspaper and accept its bias when you can find a blog you trust that presents news YOU are interested in.

I just the idea that a lot of us grew up with, and that a lot of people would still like, the idea of the monthly Dragon in the mail, is probably going to fade.

As you point out, people would want a modern magazine that basically catered to their specific campaign.

What the Modern Dispatch is, in my perspective, is a quarterly magazine where you only have to pay for the articles you want. I think that's the future.

 

[kenobi65]

Except that wasn't what happened. Poly started out as a seperate magazine that couldnt sustain itself. Pairing it with Dungeon was a last ditch effort to keep the magazine around.

Actually, that's not quite right, either.

Polyhedron was originally the RPGA's membership newsmagazine, though it was published fairly infrequently in its last few years. Part of your RPGA membership fee covered your Poly subscription. When RPGA stopped charging for membership in 2002, Polyhedron went away.

Paizo then resurrected the name for the "backup" to Dungeon. This was more in the interest of keeping Dungeon alive (it had been suffering readership losses) than to really resurrect Poly. And, the content of that incarnation of Polyhedron was very different from what it contained in the RPGA days.

However, as Ranger REG points out, a lot of Dungeon readers loathed the Poly part of Dungeon.

Poly's since been resurrected a second time, now as a (fairly skimpy) e-magazine sent to RPGA Player Rewards members.