EN World ENsider

[Astrosicebear]

I'm not sure whether [MENTION=1]Morrus[/MENTION] wants us to fill the thread with this discussion, but doesn't the (loud) craving for the return of Dungeon and Dragon seem to suggest otherwise?

I think the discussion is on point.

There are multiple factors that contributed to the success of Dungeon/Dragon.

You had a history of quality. You had a base of hundreds of issues before electronic publications. You had the seal of authenticity that is a psychological barrier that continues to exist today, and is frankly the largest hurdle for 3PP. You had terrific art, writing, and layout, all of which cost a hefty amount of money. And subtly you had the simple pleasure of holding the book and running the game with the magazine in hand, not something to consider lightly with e-zines.

You can overcome some of these with alot of money. But I dont know if the amount invested can ever be returned. You need a tremendously large subscription base in order to afford the art, writing, editing, web interface, web hosting. Youd have to make it print accessible, but also web and mobile interfaced for at-table tablets. Alot of investment because its high expectations.

Now, this Patreon interface is unique, because anyone can be a contributor, once vetted by editors I suppose, and then people could fund as they see fit... but if one would feel obligated to "tip" in addition to subscription fees... not sure how many will bite.

Like I said, love the concept, not sold on the path.

 

[Jeff Carlsen]

It's a difficult puzzle to solve.

I don't anyone will disagree that the ENWorld community has a lot of creativity. With some form of centralized editorial control, and a chance to get paid, we could create a lot of great content.

Morrus on the right path, in some regard, with each article being published individually, ready for printing and placing in a binder. And Patreon seems to be an interesting service. But I don't feel like I know enough about the service, the product, or how archives will be handled to be comfortable contributing.

And while I want printed material, I'd much prefer an article be provided in HTML with a link to download a PDF and other related resources.

Also, if the material is ultimate intended for home print, I'd prefer that the art never go color. Instead, extra money should go to either creating more content or paying the creators more.

 

[Morrus]

As long as there's enough initial interest, this is the sort of thing I think is perfectly fine having to "prove itself". Hanging on and seeing what it looks like is totally fine. The beauty of Patreon is that it can be set up almost risk-free, save for some initial expenditure on sample articles pre-launch. Then it has to earn its position over time!

 

[Blue]

Would you be open to 13th Age submissions? With the Archmage Engine licensing is taken care of.

 

[Quartz]

Queries about the editing or layout positions: 0

Well... I'm not particularly interested in the business side of editing, but I've been appreciated elsewhere for my proofreading skills - picking up typos, incorrect grammar, internal consistency, etc. (Gaudere's Law applies!)

However, I notice pay rates are in dollars. I assume that's in American dollars and not a junk currency like Zimbabwe dollars. But I'm in the U.K. and do not wish to have the double trouble of filing tax returns in America and the UK. Further, UK banks can have issues if you do business in America, as I'm sure you're well aware. It's just not worth the hassle.

Speaking as a potential customer, I'd love a monthly e-magazine. £5 a month for a cross between Dragon & Dungeon? Done. Some crunch, some lore / fluff, at least two adventures, decent art, a cartoon strip, and I'd be very happy.

 

[Nebulous]

I would also be interesting in submitting some articles for the 5th edition stuff. Heck, I had a houserule thread already, I think this edition is ripe for tinkering. I'd be happy to see a binder of magic items myself with their own unique histories and special mechanics.

 

[TarionzCousin]

What is interesting is that since I mentioned this I've had:

Queries about writing submissions: nearly 40

Queries about the editing or layout positions: 0

You can see why the latter are so valuable! Good editing/admin/layout people are damn hard to come by!

How much time would the editing positions require? I've been a copy editor and done freelance editing, but am reluctant to commit too much time.

 

[jamesjhaeck]

I think this is a fabulous idea. I never read Dungeon or Dragon magazines while they were in print—my only subscription was to Nintendo Power—but I've been catching up. I think the 'zine format has a lot to offer that blog posts can't, and the ENWorld seal of approval definitely carries weight for the online RPG community.

Also, it's a great way for new writers and editors to break into the tabletop gaming market. I think the (friendly) competition with Gygax magazine will force writers for both Gygax and EN5sider to step up their game. I'm very interested in being an editor for EN5ider.

 

[aramis erak]

What is interesting is that since I mentioned this I've had:

Queries about writing submissions: nearly 40

Queries about the editing or layout positions: 0

You can see why the latter are so valuable! Good editing/admin/layout people are damn hard to come by!

The last time I was doing layout professionally, PageMaker 6 was new. My copy of Pagemaker is so old that it shipped on 800k floppies. Any my opinion of good layout is way out of synch with the market.

Hence why I'm not putting in for a layout position.

I'm too dyslexic to edit.

 

[steeldragons]

My InDesign & circa 20 years of design/layout editor experience (content & copy editor experience also) are potentially at your disposal. Maybe I'll throw in a few b/w illustrations every now and again...if you ask nice.