Dragon/Dungeon sold, Chainmail axed
- Thread starter Morrus
- Start date
Desdichado
Hero
Yeah, I think it'd be fun to see D&D sold. Re-issued with all kinds of new rules so I have to start buying all over again! 
Actually, I'm not afraid of D&D getting sold. It already happened once, and it was the best thing for the game. How much worse could it really be?
As for Chainmail, I think the game was fine, but the management of it was horribly botched. Chainmail could have really taken a bite out of Games Workshop's dominance of the miniatures wargame market, but they didn't seem to really pull it together. And at the same time GW was releasing their Lord of the Rings game which had a lot of the same advantages (much less capital expenditure to get started, much less time if you have to paint your minis, etc).
Actually, I'm not afraid of D&D getting sold. It already happened once, and it was the best thing for the game. How much worse could it really be?
As for Chainmail, I think the game was fine, but the management of it was horribly botched. Chainmail could have really taken a bite out of Games Workshop's dominance of the miniatures wargame market, but they didn't seem to really pull it together. And at the same time GW was releasing their Lord of the Rings game which had a lot of the same advantages (much less capital expenditure to get started, much less time if you have to paint your minis, etc).
I vaguely remember reading that Dragon magazine never turned a profit and that it has always just broken even. So why has it been published all these years? So TSR and later WOTC could freely advertise all their products in it. In short, (on the commercial level) Dragon has always been one big advertisement.
Now that Dragon is in someone else's hands, how likely is it that this never-profitable magazine will turn a profit? I fear that Dragon won't last long.
DISCLAIMER: If I'm wrong about Dragon never turning a profit, then I take back my prediction of Dragon's impending demise.
Now that Dragon is in someone else's hands, how likely is it that this never-profitable magazine will turn a profit? I fear that Dragon won't last long.
DISCLAIMER: If I'm wrong about Dragon never turning a profit, then I take back my prediction of Dragon's impending demise.
Psychotic Dreamer
First Post
I really hope that both Dragon and Dungeon continue to be D20 magazines. I wouldn't mind seeing them covering the whole gambit of D20 products, but I want them to stick to D20. If they were to become generic RPG magazines they would have a lot less use for me. I play D20 stuff and maybe 1 or 2 other game systems. Oh well only time will tell. 
scadgrad
First Post
Hope the new publisher does well...
I've been a subscriber of both for many years & hope that we don't see the end of these two fine mags in the next few years. I would certainly like to see Dungeon return to its original format & no more of this combined Dungeon/Polyhedron crap. I'd rather see 4-6 quality d20 adventures in Dungeon. It was always the best value in gaming & could be even better in its newest incarnation. Fingers crossed...
I've been a subscriber of both for many years & hope that we don't see the end of these two fine mags in the next few years. I would certainly like to see Dungeon return to its original format & no more of this combined Dungeon/Polyhedron crap. I'd rather see 4-6 quality d20 adventures in Dungeon. It was always the best value in gaming & could be even better in its newest incarnation. Fingers crossed...
Delemental
First Post
Geoffrey said:
Don't know about the profitability issue, but is it possible that if someone else owns the magazine, that WotC will now have to start paying for their advertising? If so, that would certainly help the bottom line. Of course, WotC could have placed some sort of "free advertising" clause in the sales contract (if such things are even possible, it would take a more legally-minded person than I to answer that).
Personally speaking, I'm kinda glad that they have been sold. While I don't have any issues with Dungeon, Dragon seems to have become nothing more than a big 'ole advertisement for upcoming products under the pretext of making each issue "thematic". The variety contained in each issue of Dragon has consistently decreased and dedicating 30+ pages per issue to elaborate on stuff in the "latest and greatest release" is ludicrous. Hopefully, whoever bought these two mags will add some variety to them, such as book reviews (fiction and RPG), game reviews, etc. Additionally, coverage of other D20 products would be nice. I think the magazine should focus on the game as a whole, which has gone WAY beyond just WOTC.
As to Chainmail, never bought, never played. Thought about it, but I'm still kinda miffed that WOTC abandoned creating cool minis for D&D to focus on Chainmail. The Chainmail minis, to me, just didn't have the look and feel of the D&D minis they were doing, which I thought looked great.
I think the biggest problem with WOTC has been....dare I say it...MANAGEMENT. They seem to be poorly managed and poorly organized. Their stuff is great, but let management get their noses in R&D and product releases, you're bound to screw yourself. Believe me, I speak from experience here...
Just my 2 cents
As to Chainmail, never bought, never played. Thought about it, but I'm still kinda miffed that WOTC abandoned creating cool minis for D&D to focus on Chainmail. The Chainmail minis, to me, just didn't have the look and feel of the D&D minis they were doing, which I thought looked great.
I think the biggest problem with WOTC has been....dare I say it...MANAGEMENT. They seem to be poorly managed and poorly organized. Their stuff is great, but let management get their noses in R&D and product releases, you're bound to screw yourself. Believe me, I speak from experience here...
Just my 2 cents
HalfElfSorcerer
First Post
WHEREAS Hasbro is a very very very very very big company with lots and lots and lots and lots of products; and
WHEREAS WotC is a company with lots and lots and lots of products also; and
WHEREAS D&D, M:TG, and even Pokemon are very very very popular (though it may not be apparent to those over 10, in case of the latter); and
WHEREAS the economy is generally stinky at the moment,
TO WHICH:
--D&D is entrenched. It ain't goin' nowhere.
--Hasbro and WotC may very well be losing some money, but that's what companies do once in a while, no real cause for alarm.
WHEREAS WotC is a company with lots and lots and lots of products also; and
WHEREAS D&D, M:TG, and even Pokemon are very very very popular (though it may not be apparent to those over 10, in case of the latter); and
WHEREAS the economy is generally stinky at the moment,
TO WHICH:
--D&D is entrenched. It ain't goin' nowhere.
--Hasbro and WotC may very well be losing some money, but that's what companies do once in a while, no real cause for alarm.
Henry
Autoexreginated
While I don't know Lisa Stevens personally, I know OF her, and if she is buying, or just heavily involved, it's a good thing for the two (excuse me, four, counting Polyhedron and Greyhawk Journal) magazines. She was head of the WotC Star Wars Licensing division for a time in 2000, was she not?
If Peter Adkison ever bought D&D successfully, I'd be laughing my butt off. I would immediately suggest he orchestrated half of the doings since 2001, just to get D&D away from Hasbro and back under control of someone who loves the line.
Of course, to me, the beginning of the end was Peter and Ryan leaving, just based on evidence of all the cool projects we saw they had a hand in come to fruition over the past two years... I gained a lot of respect for those two (and most of the other staffers like Keith S, Chris P, Monte, Anthony, Erik, etc.) in the year leading up to the 3E release.
If Peter Adkison ever bought D&D successfully, I'd be laughing my butt off. I would immediately suggest he orchestrated half of the doings since 2001, just to get D&D away from Hasbro and back under control of someone who loves the line.
Of course, to me, the beginning of the end was Peter and Ryan leaving, just based on evidence of all the cool projects we saw they had a hand in come to fruition over the past two years... I gained a lot of respect for those two (and most of the other staffers like Keith S, Chris P, Monte, Anthony, Erik, etc.) in the year leading up to the 3E release.
