Fiction in Dragon?

[TerraDave]

WotC_Bart is thinking about putting fiction back in Dragon. Actually, he (or they) already have:

One feature for the website that we’ve been discussing has been the return of fiction to Dragon Magazine. This has been a more regular part of the magazine in the past (I distinctly remember Daniel and the Golem, as well as an early R.A. Salvatore story starring Bruenor), plus this Halloween we’ll also be featuring a new story by Ari Marmell, Before I Wake. What I’m asking now, is your possible interest in the continuation of fiction on the website—is this something you would like to have? If so, are there preferences you might have for what kind (fiction set within the game’s campaign settings, general speculative fiction, etc.)? One consideration is that website fiction would not replace any of the magazine’s gameplay content, it would be in addition to.(emphasis added)

So, what do you think?

 

[Mouseferatu]

I voted "I like having fiction," but some folks may want to disqualify my vote for conflict of interest.

Seriously, though, I think fiction in Dragon is a better idea now than it's ever been, since the electronic format is much more flexible in terms of page count per issue.

 

[Arashi Ravenblade]

I dont like fiction in my gaming magazines. I think it takes away from new rules and such being put it.
Save the fiction for filler in a sourcebook, though even that got annoying.

 

[Wombat]

Very little fiction in (The) Dragon ever did much for me. Oh, a couple of stories were alright, but most just were hack works -- I'll stick to my novels & short story collections of know quality.

 

[Deset Gled]

Seriously, though, I think fiction in Dragon is a better idea now than it's ever been, since the electronic format is much more flexible in terms of page count per issue.

I agree with this general concept. Fiction is great as long as they don't have to remove gaming content to add it. However, the paranoid conspiracy theorist in me has concerns that WotC may pull some staff off of the game material and replace them with staff for the fiction. Shifting to more "creative" material would also give them an excuse to trim down the R+D department (like what happened after the 3.0 release) and replace them with fantasy authors, which would probably lower the quality of future splat books.

 

[Mouseferatu]

I agree with this general concept. Fiction is great as long as they don't have to remove gaming content to add it. However, the paranoid conspiracy theorist in me has concerns that WotC may pull some staff off of the game material and replace them with staff for the fiction. Shifting to more "creative" material would also give them an excuse to trim down the R+D department (like what happened after the 3.0 release) and replace them with fantasy authors, which would probably lower the quality of future splat books.

Considering that most of the Dragon articles--fiction included--come from freelancers, or from staff members who are already assigned to their specific departments in the company, this is a non-issue. The specific content of Dragon has no bearing whatsoever on WotC staff positions.

(To say nothing of the fact that a professional fiction writer outside the RPG industry gets paid far more, on average, than anyone--fiction or mechanics--gets paid within the industry. Even if what you were talking about were possible, there's no upside to it.)

 

[Deset Gled]

Considering that most of the Dragon articles--fiction included--come from freelancers, or from staff members who are already assigned to their specific departments in the company, this is a non-issue. The specific content of Dragon has no bearing whatsoever on WotC staff positions.

I understand that that's how Dragon used to work, but it seems to me that the articles we've seen so far have been writen by actual staffers. Or am I getting Dragon confused with the rest of the Digital Initiative?

(To say nothing of the fact that a professional fiction writer outside the RPG industry gets paid far more, on average, than anyone--fiction or mechanics--gets paid within the industry. Even if what you were talking about were possible, there's no upside to it.)

As you note, though, RPG fantasy writers make next to nothing. I think that WotC could get fluff writers for a lot less than they pay design staff. If they do use freelancers, it would be even cheaper (no overhead, benefits, etc).

 

[Mouseferatu]

I understand that that's how Dragon used to work, but it seems to me that the articles we've seen so far have been writen by actual staffers. Or am I getting Dragon confused with the rest of the Digital Initiative?

You're thinking of things like columns and whatnot. Yes, some of the articles have been by design staff, and some will continue to be, but the bulk are freelancers.

More to the point, the staffers who are writing articles are doing so as a tiny fraction of their job. Trust me, there's not one chance that Wizards would fire one of them due to their contributions, or lack thereof, to Dragon online. Not one.

As you note, though, RPG fantasy writers make next to nothing. I think that WotC could get fluff writers for a lot less than they pay design staff. If they do use freelancers, it would be even cheaper (no overhead, benefits, etc).

They already use freelancers.

And no, there's no difference in the cost of "fluff writers" vs. "designers." A freeance RPG writer is a freelance RPG writer; a WotC designer is a WotC designer. Some may work on different teams in the company, but there's no formal division (or pay differential) between "fluff writers" and "mechanic writers." We all do both, to one extent or another.

The notion that adding fiction to Dragon could have any impact on WotC's staffing situation, let alone their design philosophy, simply has no basis, I promise you.

 

[FalcWP]

I wasn't a fan of it when Dragon was a print magazine - it meant that there was less space for an actual article, which is what I was buying the magazine for. However, in a digital format, where adding fiction shouldn't reduce the number of articles, I'm fine with it.

 

[WayneLigon]

I think Fiction is not only a good thing to have in a gaming magazine, it's an essencial thing. Reading fantasy fiction is an integral part of roleplaying; it provides inspiration, illustration, descriptive context, and simply improves the experience in all ways. There are far too few markets for short fantasy fiction (I can think of two that are available to the general public; they might have adventure fantasy maybe twice a year). Providing access to quality fantasy adventure fiction is a service the Dragon has provided for many years and it should continue.