Dungeon Mag #101 - slight ranty.

[physicscarp]

I really enjoy Dungeon and Polyhedron magazine, and I made sure to tell Erik Mona when I saw him at Origins. This doesn't mean that I love every adventure or every part of Polyhedron. It means that month to month, I am entertained. I am buying it off of the shelf right now and always have, but the subscription deal looks better and better. For both a reduced price AND more content, I'd be a fool not to. That being said, some of these comments people are making just boggle my mind.

Some of you are angry that your not getting the extra content because you don't subscribe. Well, subscribe then. Your arguments seem to be "I'm buying Dungeon. They're (subscribers) buying Dungeon. They get free content. I should get free content!" Wrong. Subcribers go the extra step of providing Paizo with more income AND signing on for an entire year. They do more for Paizo, so Paizo does more for them. Once you have made those additional commitments, then you'll be entitled to the free contnet. So subscribe, it's a deal!

As for the changes that were mentioned at Origins, I am excited about most of them. The idea that the minigames will be cut in number to provide more generic content is great, and I'm glad that they listened to their customers.

Carp

 

[KenM]

So, in effect, you are going to steal content?

- Ma'at

No, I am still buying the issue off the shelf. It is not my fault if what I get of the shelf does not have as much in it as my friends subscription copy, due to the publisher. I am just making sure I get the whole issue that I paid for in the store. If the publisher put everything in it like they are suposted to, then I would not be forced to do that.

 

[Arnwyn]

I want to support my local store and not subscribe. Why does all the subscriber only stuff have to be in Dungeon??

I have absolutely *no* sympathy for this line of thought.

Subscriber-only content is a good idea, and should be continued. If you want to "support your FLGS", that's your perogative, but complaining that you miss out on subscriber-only content is not reasonable. If you want that stuff, then subscribe. If you don't subscribe, then obviously you value your other options (eg. seeing what you are buying, supporting your FLGS, whatever) over the additional content.

Regardless of your feelings, though, a magazine would *much* rather have subscribers than off-the-shelf buyers, for many reasons (some noted above by another poster). They are also guaranteed a certain distribution and income. A magazine has no obligation to those who wish to "support" their FLGS/bookstore/whatever. They must do what results in the best business decision for them. More subscribers is certainly in that vein.

 

[Mark Chance]

I sympathize with you, Ken M, I really do. But:

Accually I'm going to get it the same way I got the stuff from issue 99. have my friend that subscribes copy the stuff for me. But this does not change the fact that I should not have to do that to get the same issue that is on the shelf that my friend gets in the mail.

(Emphasis added.)

You do not have a moral right to Dungeon magazine (not to mention certainly not having any right at all to pirate content). IOW, there is no "should." There is just an "is," as is, "That is the way it is." Dungeon's publisher doesn't owe you or me anything.

It was observed above that non-subscription sales are somewhat less than 33% of total sales. Thus, marketing favors subscription sales. But, no magazine can afford to consistently alienate somewhat less than 33% of its buyers.

If "subscriber's only" material is a mistake, Paizo Publishing will eventually be punished by the market (read: non-subscribers who stop purchasing the magazine).

 

[physicscarp]

Originally posted by KenM
I want to support my local store and not subscribe. Why does all the subscriber only stuff have to be in Dungeon??

I want to support my gaming magazine and subscribe, so I'm going to get additional content. If you want to support your local gaming store, ask them to provide you with perks. Though I'm willing to bet that they probably do already because most FLGS's are cool like that.

Carp

 

[sircaren]

<----------------------

Just pointing out another happy subscriber.

 

[Anubis the Doomseer]

Originally posted by KenM
No, I am still buying the issue off the shelf.

That's not the material I am talking about. I'm talking about the subscriber content that you did NOT pay for. That is where the theft is taking place.

To be clear here I don't care one way or the other. I am a participant in a couple of copy-left situations and I do not like the existing IP laws, but I'm also not in denial about what my file-sharing is under the current letter of the law - theft of intellectual property.

It is not my fault if what I get of the shelf does not have as much in it as my friends subscription copy, due to the publisher.

But you did not pay for that content - therefore you are not entitled to it.

I am just making sure I get the whole issue that I paid for in the store.

You did. And your friend got what he paid for. What you think you are entitled to is not in fact what the publisher is giving you to buy at the retailer.

If the publisher put everything in it like they are suposted to, then I would not be forced to do that.

This is something I find very stupid, and at the risk of violating the conduct guidelines on this board I think your arrogance is rather childish.

YOU ARE NOT FORCED TO DO ANYTHING.

YOU are the one chosing to do this. You have the option not to buy. YOU have the option of (spending less money) subscribing to the magazine. The world does not revolve around YOU.

- Ma'at

 

[Mark Chance]

YOU are the one chosing to do this. You have the option not to buy. YOU have the option of (spending less money) subscribing to the magazine. The world does not revolve around YOU.

But it does revolve around me. It's true. Denial of this basic cosmological fact is one of the greatest scientific conspiracies ever, even more heinous than the so-called Moon landings. Copernicus got it all wrong. Prior to October 3, 1967, the solar system didn't have a center. It was all a horrible mess. Planets zig-zagging all over the place, bumping into each other.

And then: I was born!

Support the true, Chance-o-centric model of the cosmos. More information regarding Chance-o-centrism can be found here.

 

[Ravellion]

Well, there used to be happy store buyers and happy subscribers. Putting the store buyers to the choice of subscribing or getting depleted content is not a very nice thing to do if you ask me.

Now if subscribers would get 4 adventures and store buyers 3, I would be okay with that. But even if I would subscribe I would only get 2 adventures (which is admittedly a reasonably good deal), while store buying is a very bad deal indeed.

They have forced me to make a choice, and the choice is: I will not buy Dungeon Magazines with only 1 adventure (critical threats I never use for some reason, but I don't mind them either), and will not subscribe due to being in Europe to improve this. Hence, they lose a customer who was absolutely amazed by the quality and quantity of the product about a year ago.

 

[mmu1]

Some of you are angry that your not getting the extra content because you don't subscribe. Well, subscribe then. Your arguments seem to be "I'm buying Dungeon. They're (subscribers) buying Dungeon. They get free content. I should get free content!" Wrong. Subcribers go the extra step of providing Paizo with more income AND signing on for an entire year. They do more for Paizo, so Paizo does more for them. Once you have made those additional commitments, then you'll be entitled to the free contnet. So subscribe, it's a deal!

Right... Because being a gamer is about "going the extra step" for the people kind enough to take your money, because you should be glad there's anything for you to buy out there at all.

And to call the "subscriber-only" sections "free content"? It's more like them condescending to sell you something approaching the size and value of a real magazine as a "reward" for subscribing, while sending incomplete product to the newsstands, hoping a few people will pick it up anyway out of habit. If you think you're actually getting a good deal on your Dungeon and they're going "above and beyond" to provide you with "free" stuff, I've got a bridge up on EBay you might be interested in...