Baraendur said:
With all the anti-Poly rhetoric flying around these boards, I don't think anyone here can be impartial.
Frankly I think the argument is tired and should be put to bed already. Dungeon is going to make some concessions to the anti-Poly people. Take the victory and be happy already.
As long as people are dissatisfied, the argument will go on, and until Poly is 100% removed from Dungeon, the majority of readers, including myself, will not be completely satisfied. Concessions are one thing, and a fine start, but the victory of the major D&D readership faction over the pro-Poly d20 "special interests" is another.
The bold experiment of merging the two mags is a failure (which I predicted from the second merged issue), and it has failed because of substandard content and the steadfast, stubborn refusal of top Paizo leadership to listen to the needs of the majority of the Dungeon readership. Only now, at the end, do they listen, and only grudgingly. They thought they knew what was best, better than the readers, and they were wrong. Too long they have been blinded by their love of Poly! Now they pay the price for their folly, and deservedly so.
Personally, I'd rather see Dungeon dead than Poly live. That's how cheated I feel by its inclusion in Dungeon and how useless I find it. With Poly in, there's just not enough Dungeon left to make buying the mag a worthwhile purchase to me. Harsh? Hyperbole? Nope. That's my opinion. Issues #99-101 proved it beyond a shadow of a doubt.
So, what can we expect, if indeed concessions have been made? Here are my incredible, psychic predictions:
1. Several more issues featuring unacceptable levels of Poly content and reduced D&D content before any changes become visible. That's bad, but understandable, given publishing schedules. No strain on my brain to come up with this, as Erik already said it in another thread.
2. If the removal of Poly from issues after that is substantial enough, we will see whether Dungeon can sink or swim on its own, without the Poly albatross dangling around its neck. If it sinks, we will see Paizo loudly bemoan the fact that "see? we told you so. Dungeon needed Poly to survive." If it swims, we will see Paizo stay silent, or only grudgingly concur that a reformat of the magazine was in order but mealy-mouth it up enough as to be a unrecognizable admission of failure and down play the role the readership had in the decision to reformat.
3. New iconic stud Gimble will sweet-talk his way into the hearts of Mialee, Lidda, and Vadania, but Alhandra will remain curiously aloof.
4. The UPS goon will deliver my 3.5 books to my door in 5...4...3...2...1...BINGO! Holy jeepers! To hell with this discussion, I just got my 3.5 books! See ya, suckers!
