Dungeon vs. Polyhedron - Death Match

[BryonD]

As soon as the last issue of Poly is rolled out, I'm not buying any more fresh Dung.

With friends like you, Paizo doesn't need any enemies.

Then we'll see if the magazine can survive another 12 months until it is out of circulation or a change in format must be installed due to decreased sale.

Eh, it made it what 4 or 5 months under the current format?

So I'm glad to see you agree that a switch toward Dungeon would increase the viability.

Originally posted by Baraendur
Its time for people to just decide whether to continue buying the magazine or not. Perrsonally, I will be.

Exactly. And I will not be.


As to the significance of this poll, eh, who knows? It clearly is not any scientific test. Obviously, ENWorld is not representative of the D&D/D20 community. However, IMO, ENWorld is biased TOWARDS poly. This is a D20 community made up of people who take gaming seriously enough to spend time talking about it. These are the kinds of people who are more likely to want to try out variety. Many casual D&D gamers are just that, D&D gamers. Heck, I am more interested in variety than most non-ENWorld gamers I know.

 

[Sholari]

Re: Re: My take:

Ha! Not even close, man, not even close.

It provides support for the notion that 94 out of 134 people who were willing to vote to throw out one or the other wanted to throw out Poly instead of Dungeon. It doesn't address people who are happy with it as is and might get rather annoyed if either one got thrown out.

However, I will say you have a promising career in Washington.

-The Gneech

Okay, then short of throwing a couple thousand in to do Paizo's market research for them, what would be a fairer poll? You'd think that because this is such an important issue, they would have sent a survey out about it and at least entertained separating Dungeon and Poly. Do you have any thoughts as to a better alternative? My thought is as follows...

Dungeon vs. Polyhedron - New and Improved Death Match

What is the optimal combination of Dungeon and Polyhedron if you had to purchase the magazine?

Dungeon 100% - I don't like your peanut butter in my chocolate.

Dungeon 80%/Polyhedron 20% - A dab of peanut butter and a whole lotta chocolate.

Dungeon 50%/Polyhedron 50% - Reese's Pieces

Dungeon 20%/Polyhedron 80% - Chocolate-chip peanut butter

Polyhedron 100% - Get your chocolate out of my peanut butter

Second, if there is a better site besides www.d20polyhedron-minigames.com to also test this out on, I am all ears for recommendations. This site should probably also have some polling mechanism.

Finally, as to the statistical significance of this poll I will have our statistician at work run it through the proper tests when he gets back from vacation on Monday. I'm fairly sure it will show a statistical significance since a sample size over 30 starts to get close to that if the differences are strong enough.

 

[Algolei]

I don't buy either anymore because 3E sucks and 3.5 sucks harder.

But if I was forced to buy one, it would be Poly. Which is a pity, because I've subscribed to Dungeon since issue #33. But like I always say: If ya can't get what ya want, don't buy what ya don't.

Today I received my last issue of Dragon as well. I've subscribed since issue #70, but it stopped being what I needed shortly before 3E came out--made getting a 2-year subscription a real pain.

 

[Ranger REG]

With friends like you, Paizo doesn't need any enemies.

I can be their staunchiest supporter if they stay true to their course and still offer the combo magazine of Dungeon/Polyhedron.

But if Paizo falters and listen to the one hundred or so D&D Purists, who wants Dungeon the way it was originally, I will pull my support swiftly and without warning.

So I'm glad to see you agree that a switch toward Dungeon would increase the viability.

No, it only disappoint me more. Never have I felt great pain and sorrow since the death of my mother.

I guess I finally have my sign. My interest in RPG hobby is now waning.

 

[BryonD]

I can be their staunchiest supporter if they stay true to their course and still offer the combo magazine of Dungeon/Polyhedron.

But if Paizo falters and listen to the one hundred or so D&D Purists, who wants Dungeon the way it was originally, I will pull my support swiftly and without warning.

I was referring to your on-going reference to Dungeon as Dung. I doubt Paizo finds that any more encouraging than the complaints against Poly.

"One hundred or so"?? Hardly, there are over 100 votes in this one poll. Regardless of the validity of this poll, it is clear that more people are interested in a return to a more Dungeon focused format than are interested in Poly. I don't base that claim on any on-line poll or post counting. I base it on the announcement from Paizo that they are already re-tooling the format again in response to what they are hearing (and one would assume, sells data and/or projections).

No, it only disappoint me more. Never have I felt great pain and sorrow since the death of my mother.

I guess I finally have my sign. My interest in RPG hobby is now waning.

Your interest in the gaming hobby is tied to Polyhedron magazine?

I am disappointed that Dungeon is no longer the product that I used to find worthwhile. But they could switch to an all My Little Pony format and it would not change my interest in RPGs.

 

[Buttercup]

I wish there was a poll option for those of us who like both Dungeon and Poly. I'm happy with the new format. And I've been wondering if the ENWorld crowd is really representative of the subscriber base as a whole, or if the folks who post here are an amomaly. (I was going to say, if the folks who post here are a bunch of freaks, but then I decided not to insult myself. )

Also, Paizo has told us many times that both Dungeon and Poly would have folded if they remained separate publications. I assume that's still true. So it seems to me that we should be glad we have the magazine at all.

And here's a thing I wonder about. Over the years, I've subscribed to dozens and dozens of different magazines, from science mags to news mags. I have never, never, never seen a single issue of any of them that interested me from cover to cover. That's just the nature of magazines, I always figured. You read the stuff you like, and move on. Why is it that Dungeon/Poly, and for that matter Dragon subscribers get pissed off every time there is an article they don't like? Are we gamers really that grouchy?

 

[BryonD]

And here's a thing I wonder about. Over the years, I've subscribed to dozens and dozens of different magazines, from science mags to news mags. I have never, never, never seen a single issue of any of them that interested me from cover to cover. That's just the nature of magazines, I always figured. You read the stuff you like, and move on. Why is it that Dungeon/Poly, and for that matter Dragon subscribers get pissed off every time there is an article they don't like? Are we gamers really that grouchy?

This is certainly a good observation. However, I bet if you went to a Popular Mechanics board you would find people complaining about "this" issue not being as good as they use to be 10 years ago. It is just the way people are.

I have maintained a subscription to Dungeon and Dragon. I have found certain articles and even entire issues to be distinctly lacking from time to time. But I have always received my money's worth overall.

However, on the Polyhedron/Dungeon topic, I now know that in addition to the hit and miss Dungeon content, I will also be forced to purchase Polyhedron material that I already know will be 90%+ miss for me. That is why I stopped buying.

 

[Belen]

Erik,

You just let me know when we can expect the format change and I will subscribe to Dungeon again. I let my subsciption lapse when you combined the magazine. Adding Poly is fine for all the RPGA people, but the majority of gamers do not participate in the RPGA, so why bother with poly?

Not only will I resubscribe to Dungeon, but I will go ahead and get Dragon again too, just to support your reformat of Dungeon.

It's the adventures I want, dude. The mini-games just blow. I am sorry to say it, but the RPGA is a minority for hardcore gamers only. I think that you will get far more than their measly 20% in renewed subscriptions if you market DUNGEON again.

Yes, they are vocal, but they are also a HUGE minority. Heck, even the hardcore EnWorlders want Dungeon back. That seems to show how useless Poly really is.

Dave

 

[Buttercup]

No, it only disappoint me more. Never have I felt great pain and sorrow since the death of my mother.

I guess I finally have my sign. My interest in RPG hobby is now waning.

Ranger, I'm not sure what you're saying here. Please tell me that the Dungeon/Poly situation is not causing you emotional pain on a par with what you suffered at the death of your mom? Because if it is, I'm seriously worried about you, my friend. Really. I'm not trying to be a wise-ass. I'm worried.

I'm not sure how the Dungeon/Poly situation could damage your interest in RPGs as a hobby either, but that's a minor issue, in my mind, compared to what I think you said in your first paragraph.

Take care of yourself, dude.

 

[Arnwyn]

I wouldn't call it an expose. I simply start from a few premises and go from there.

Yeah, sorry... I was looking for a synonym for "dissertation", and I guess my vocabulary failed me. "Critique", maybe?