Dragon #297 arrived

[Gez]

Just an add for sourcebooks ? I don't know. Three articles about the ELH, 11 about other things.

Of course, short stories are totally useless, so that's 10. Maps are not that great either -- they never correspond to the tile you would really need. 9. Who's ever needed the Sillycon Sorcery feature ? 8. The LGJ is useless if you don't play GH. 7. Similarly, Elminster's run ons if you don't play FR. 6. Gygax's column isn't especially... I don't know, but it don't strike me as essential and directly useful. 5. Guild Secrets: They've sneaked in another Epic article ! Argh ! 4. Chainmail scenarii. Talk about pointless. 3. Sage Advice: Everyone knows the Sage is senile and always contradict the core rules. 2. Class Act: Great ! Just another wierd prestige class you'll never use ! 1.
Children of the Cosmos: 8 new planetouched. Hrmm... I don't think I'll ever need to make an use of them anyway. Sure, they're cool to have "just to have them", but do you really want to play an Ooze Genasi ? Why not a Slime or Drool Genasi ? No, useless. 0.

0 worthwhile article in Dragon.

I'm not bothered by the fact it's impossible to get one in France.

 

[Knight Otu]

I am curious about a few epic level details (Yes, this is someone curious about epic rules who does not have, and does not intend to get the pirated PDF):

How does the writeup for an epic prestige class differ from the writeup of normal prestige classes? (From the D&Dg sidebar, I would assume that they don't have columns for Base Attack and Base Save Boni?)

Can you post short descriptions on the prestige classes?

What about the epic spells? Are there any clues about their creation?


DocMoriartty: In my opinion, the magazine would be an ad fr sale only when the epic contents was nothing more than excerpts from the Epic Level Handbook. Nothing so far supports this view.
Also, the Dragon maazine is WOTC's house magazine on D&D, and house magazines are almost always a place for the company that publishes it to advertise their products. They did it for the Forgotten Realms, they did it for Manual of Planes, they did it for the Psionics Handbook - They even did it for the Core Rules!

Your point is certainly valid - but it has been valid even before the Epic Level issue.

Personally, I think that most of the Dragon issues that I have seen since the switch to 3rd Edition have been of a better quality than before the switch (Though distribution problems assured that I have not all magazines ).

That said, it is all a matter of taste.

 

[Default Name Player]

That would be fine if the magazine was only $3.

A new subscriber can get a year's subscription (12 issues) for $37.95, which equals $3.16 per issue

Current subscribers can usually renew for $34.95 per year, which equals $2.91 per issue (even less if you do 2-3 year subs)

I hate to mince other people's words, but you (Doc Moriarity) seemed so intent that cost is an issue.

And if you're talking about "single issue" cost, then unless Dragon starts to have the circulation of Sports Illustrated, then there's little chance of a regular sized magazine being $3 an issue.

Otherwise, I find that if something in Dragon doesn't interest me at the moment, at least it's there for when I might need it. I have the Dragon Magazine CD-ROM and issues 251-current, and it's been one of the best resources I have as a player, and especially as a DM.

As a person who's in interested in what's going to be in the ELH (despite having yet to get past 9th level in any 3e game), I'm interested to see what's going to presented in the latest Dragon magazine.

 

[JacktheRabbit]

You still miss the basic concept that the magazine is becoming a mere advertising tool instead of a complete tool unto itself.

A new subscriber can get a year's subscription (12 issues) for $37.95, which equals $3.16 per issue

Current subscribers can usually renew for $34.95 per year, which equals $2.91 per issue (even less if you do 2-3 year subs)

I hate to mince other people's words, but you (Doc Moriarity) seemed so intent that cost is an issue.

And if you're talking about "single issue" cost, then unless Dragon starts to have the circulation of Sports Illustrated, then there's little chance of a regular sized magazine being $3 an issue.

Otherwise, I find that if something in Dragon doesn't interest me at the moment, at least it's there for when I might need it. I have the Dragon Magazine CD-ROM and issues 251-current, and it's been one of the best resources I have as a player, and especially as a DM.

As a person who's in interested in what's going to be in the ELH (despite having yet to get past 9th level in any 3e game), I'm interested to see what's going to presented in the latest Dragon magazine.

 

[Shade]

Jesse,

Please don't let a small vocal minority sway the course of Dragon. I think the magazine is fantastic. I used to subscribe back in the 1E days, and lost interest in the way they were running it. Since 3E, I've re-subscribed, and have been very satisfied with the way it is run.

Now, I'll admit that I don't enjoy, or have use for, some of the content, mainly the short stories and the Chainmail material. But I wouldn't suggest that it be removed, because I know others find the material entertaining or useful. With the addition of the "In Your Campaign" sidebars, I've found more use for some of the things I'd normally gloss over (like this month's Chainmail article).

I have been looking forward to the Epic Level Handbook for a long time. Had this month's issue not contained alot of epic-level material, I would have felt cheated. When the Psionics Handbook came out, I had no intention of buying it or using psionics in my campaign, but I was not bothered by the large amount of psionics content, for I knew that many other people are huge psionics fans. And I was still able to use some of the material, such as the githzerai information.

To those of you who find one or two issues out of your subscription "useless", consider them bonus issues. The fact of the matter is that you are probably still paying less than what you would if you had bought all the issues at the newstand. (That's how I consider last year's April Fools issue). If you feal cheated because of this, then perhaps a subscription isn't the best idea for you. If you normally buy them on a newsstand, and feel the need to buy the issue only for one article, then you knew what you were getting into before the purchase. Unless it is an official update to the core rules, you don't "need" to buy the issue for one article.

Keep up the good work, Jesse.

 

[Clefton Twain]

ELH, and Dragon as Advertising

Hmm...

First of all, whether ELH is munchkin and cheesy isn't really a factor. If you don't like it, don't get it. There are things I don't have an interest in that I haven't bought and I do fine without them. Some people may like them. Fine. But why complain about it? What good does that do? State your opinion and move on.

As for Dragon being a source of advertising...well, yeah. I honestly don't expect otherwise. There are plenty of crunchy bits to glean from the magazine that aren't "advertising" for products. And even the so-called "advertising" doesn't bother me.

If it deals with a particular product I am not going to get, so be it. I will move on. The ELH stuff, I believe, is information that didn't make the book, so I find it very cool that I can get my hands on it at all, let alone before the book comes out.

But almost *everything* in Dragon is a plug for WotC products when you think about it. The magazine exists to support D&D and supplement it. I don't see anything wrong with this.

Yes, there are good issues of Dragon and there are not-so-good issues. I, for one, really dislike the April Fool's issue from two years ago. Blech. But there have also been really great issues. Everyone likes different things. If you don't want to pay for issues that supposedly advertise upcoming WotC products, then don't subscribe. Then you can pick and choose.

I really don't see a problem here.

--CT

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Let me say it one more time for the cheap seats.

I DID NOT GET A SUBSCRIPTION TO ONE OF THE MOST EXPENSIVE MAGAZINES IN THE COUNTRY FOR IT TO BE NOTHING MORE THAN AN ADVERTISING RAG FOR OTHER PRODUCTS!!

Is that so hard to understand? Dragon is turning into little more than a teaser rag for the main product line. That would be fine if the magazine was only $3. It is not though. It is twice that and that makes it very expensive and means it should be a product that completely stands on its own.

OK, now I'll shout to the nosebleed sections:

IT'S NOT JUST AN AD FOR A PRODUCT! THE ARTICLES SUPPORT A PRODUCT, BUT CAN EASILY BE ADJUSTED FOR USE WITHOUT THAT PRODUCT!

Is that so hard to understand? I subscribe to Dragon for just that kind of support.

And Dragon is nowhere near being one of the most expensive magazines in the US.

 

[ColonelHardisson]

You still miss the basic concept that the magazine is becoming a mere advertising tool instead of a complete tool unto itself.

That's an exaggeration. Those articles are not simply ads. Dragon takes pains to provide sidebars for those who aren't going to use whatever product is featured. Remove any reference to the ELH, and these articles would stand alone pretty easily. It would simply be a theme issue of Dragon, for high level play.

 

[Upper_Krust]

Hi all!

As someone looking forward to the ELH, I eagerly await issue #297.

I only started buying Dragon magazine again recently (very difficult to pick up here over the past few years) and I have to be honest I think the content has improved drammatically in the interim between issues (#256-#293 missed). Thats not to say it was disappointing to begin with; simply that it has improved in leaps and bounds.

One aspect that foreign gamers suffer is the prolonged delay (5 weeks for me - I know it is more for others) in obtaining the issues. By the time the Epic themed issue reaches me I already hope to have the ELH!

Heres looking forward to #296 - NEXT WEEK! Who-hoo!

 

[Crypt King]

IT'S NOT JUST AN AD FOR A PRODUCT! THE ARTICLES SUPPORT A PRODUCT, BUT CAN EASILY BE ADJUSTED FOR USE WITHOUT THAT PRODUCT!

And Dragon is nowhere near being one of the most expensive magazines in the US.

Sorry Colonel, but that is not always the case for easy adjustment.

And yes, it is one of the most expensive magazines on the market, especially page count breakdown. For those that bring up subscription, what about the people who seem to never get them or get them late and thrashed.

Yeah I get dragon, sometimes more out of habit then anything, that and to get the living greyhawk journal that I joined the RPGA to get....

Some issues suck hard, others are fine. I like the chainmail articles, especially the ones that ran stats for model use in D&D (which is on the web site now), What's New, and a few other articles. Do I want this one, well as having a first hand look at ELH, not really and I can do without yet another "Support Your Local Drow 101," that's next issue.