Dragon Bashing- Why is it en vogue?

[coyote6]

Re: Re: Re: Dragon Bashing- Why is it en vogue?

It's the one thing guaranteed to kill all interest in Dragon for me, so I'm hoping you're right about it being a pipe dream.

I'm with Samnell on that point.

I like Dragon, but if you want to know what I would change:

(1) The cover blurbs -- thinking about other magazines, the blurbs aren't atypical. However, I still think they're overcooked; I'd like it if the hype was toned down a bit, and maybe the font size or number. It would be nice to be able to marvel at the art that graces the covers without the distraction.

OTOH, I subscribe, and maybe the hyped-up blurbs help sell the magazine at the stands.

(2) I like the fiction -- particularly the Martin piece, and the Fool Wolf (I think that was the name) pieces from a while back. However, not every issue has to have fiction. And I'd prefer short stories to excerpts/ads for WotC books (excerpts from other books -- a la the Martin novella -- might be another matter, assuming they're more-or-less complete stories).

(3) Don't let people complaining (or people bitching, moaning, whining, griping, grumbling, kvetching, nitpicking, ranting, babbling, or obfuscating) get you down.

 

[Breakdaddy]

Re: Re: Dragon Bashing- Why is it en vogue?

5.) "Research into World-Building" - By which I mean things like Gygax' "World Builder" book and AEG's "Toolbox" - but with stuff explored in more depth and illustrated. I for one would love to see WotC provide "five new pieces of jewelry, illustrated and statted, and given a generic history" per month or something. Give us "100 random tavern menus" (10 "desert nomad" menus, 10 "western european" menus, etc.) or whatever - all the "little things" that none of have time to do but that add lots of flavor. Also includes things like Dungeoncraft.



--The Sigil

This is a wonderful idea, and I must heartily second it! As for most other issues with Dragon, I've few. The only true point of contention is the fiction. I think it is useless in Dragon magazine, and hope that enough people weigh in on this issue so that the staff at Dragon might at least take another look at whether they would like to continue adding it to Dragon (one way or the other, as I'm certain that many people disagree with this opinion).

 

[El_Gringo]

I share a lot of opinions with those who have already posted. Mostly, a disappointment with the covers. I'd take elegance over Cosmo any day of the week. I view the fiction as "filler" material. It doesn't have stats, gameplay ideas, or even relevance to D&D in some cases. I subscribed to Dragon because it contained useful material for my D&D game, not because Joe Bob wrote a new novel and put an excerpt into the magazine.

 

[Terry Edwards]

More Dragon Feedback

It seems this thread has become an extension of the Dragon #306 survey so here's yet another offering of the good and the bad.

First the good:
1. Any article that expands the usefulness of current rules such as "power fantasy" "saddle up" "saying the right things"

2. New monsters are always useful so keep the "bestiary" and "silicon sorcery" coming.

3. Ecologies are great.

4. The comic are for the most part a keeper (see also the bad). I especially enjoy the caption contests.

5. I enjoyed the cities of the planes article and would like to see more. The one problem with the article is the lack of a map, you've got to have a map.

6. Campaign components-In general the articles are great and very well done as long as they don't get bogged down in race and character class examples of the career/style being presented.

Now for the bad:
1. This is where I seem to differ from most people-please no more pull out maps, posters, miniature grids etc. They make good wrapping paper for fantasy gamers but they are useless in miniatures games (where one crafts their own intricate scenery) as well as d&d (where miniatures are only used for combat orientation). There were some interesting alternatives on the survey that would be much better.

2. Fiction. It's not that I don't like fiction but since Dragon stopped publishing amateur work the stale taste of homogenized d&d novels is all too prevelant. Reopen fiction submissions to all.

3. Over use of a theme-I'm not talking about theme issues but rather the rash of devil, demon, I'm becoming a demon, I'm becoming evil articles that are flooding the pages of the magazine. I have nothing against lower planar creatures or evil PCs but enough already, it's like being beaten over the head with a bag of oranges.

4. Comics-Enough already with "what's new." It's akin to a dire boar dragging out a losing fight while at negative hit points. Sorry for the over use of anologies, now for a parable...

It should be noted that I do enjoy the magazine and have no intention of Dragon bashing. The only real reason I am posting this thread is issue #1 under the bad. So many people support the pullouts that I wanted the dragon staff to know that there are some opposing them.

 

[Olgar Shiverstone]

Dragon content ...

Sustain:

- D&D focus. The thing I hated most about the old Dragon was the Ares science fiction section and the stuff devoted to games other than D&D.
- Campaign Components. Great idea, well executed thus far.
- "Flavor" articles: Elminsters Guide to the Realms, etc -- interesting sites to drop into your campaign.
- Gygax's column
- DM's toolbox and related "make your game better" articles.
- Nodwick/Dork Tower/Zogonia

Improve:

- Lose the cover taglines.
- Bring back classy - not trashy - cover art
- Ditch Silicon Sorcery
- Lose What's New (it was cute in its original incarnation, now ...)
- Bring back Dragon Mirth!
- Cut back some on the crunchy bits -- give us some game ideas that aren't all new feats, prestige classes, and the like
- Fiction (shrug) -- only if it's D&D specific, and complete. No teasers -- complete short stories.

 

[Christian Walker]

Aspects of Dragon irritate me, but I have so much respect for the magazine. Just think of all the gaming mags that have come and gone. The battlefield is littered with their corpses - Challenge, Arcane, Role-player, Autoduel Quarterly, Inphobia, Shadis, and many others.

The fact that Dragon has sustained very high production values over such a long period is astonishing. The issues are jammed with content and I respect the talent of all involved.

I've tried publishing a mag - the ill-fated Scrollworks - so I know what I'm talking about.

 

[Desdichado]

Hey, I like Phil and Dixie! That's one of the first things I look at. Sure, it's better some months than others, but I've never seen it bad.

I also have little to no interest in fiction, Silicon Sorcery, the Sage, or Up on a Soapbox. Dungeoncraft was a great column -- I really liked the gradual rollout of Ray Winninger's Forest world setting, for example. I'd love to see all new campaign settings developed over time like this -- that would certainly get me coming back for more.

 

[La Bete]

Hey, I like Phil and Dixie!

amen to that. its not particularly good at the moment, but its still the first thing I look at...

Other things i'd like to see? No more PrC's. Ever. (though thats a complaint more with d20 in general)