Goodman Games to publish a 4e print magazine under the GSL

[MatthewJHanson]

I don't like being the bearer of bad news but this magazine is NOT the only print magazine licensed under the GSL that prints 4ematerial as they claim. Dragon Roots print and pdf magazine is licensed under GSL and the OGL and prints both 3.5 and 4e material and is at least 70 pages high quality print. Also, I am sure that Kobold Quarterly also contains 4e material. You can find out more information about Dragon Roots magazine at DRAGON ROOTS.

As the GSL currently stands, you cannot publish the same "product line" under both the GSL and OGL (and I think it would be hard to argue that two articles in the same magazine are different product lines).

Kobold quarterly has published 4e material, but it does not use the GSL. I know it's a fine point, but it would make the statements at Ogre Cave (which may or may not be Goodman's) technically correct.

 

[DM-Rocco]

As the GSL currently stands, you cannot publish the same "product line" under both the GSL and OGL (and I think it would be hard to argue that two articles in the same magazine are different product lines).

Kobold quarterly has published 4e material, but it does not use the GSL. I know it's a fine point, but it would make the statements at Ogre Cave (which may or may not be Goodman's) technically correct.

Actually, we at Dragon Roots have a special agreement with WOTC to use the GSL and the OGL for printing both 3.x and 4e material in the same pages, even though the GSL prohibits this. Our last issue, which came out in October, was printed under the OGL and the GSL and contained both 3.x and 4e material and our future issues will also fall under the GSL and the OGL and contain both 3.x and 4e material.

I'm happy that someone else wants to try their hand at creating a magazine, but the claim that they are the first is not correct. If Kobold Quarterly doesn't count, then we do. So technically, it is not correct.

Unless of course he wants to claim to be the only magazine to use the GSL to contain exclusively 4e material, then he could claim that.

Quick dirty shot: we would still have more pages of useable content

 

[Jack99]

I don't like being the bearer of bad news but this magazine is NOT the only print magazine licensed under the GSL that prints 4ematerial as they claim. Dragon Roots print and pdf magazine is licensed under GSL and the OGL and prints both 3.5 and 4e material and is at least 70 pages high quality print. Also, I am sure that Kobold Quarterly also contains 4e material. You can find out more information about Dragon Roots magazine at DRAGON ROOTS.

As to price, without knowing the full details about the print they are running or what their print run size is but going off of what I know from researching printers for Dragon Roots, $2 an issue would barely cover the printing costs after you pay for things like art and stuff. I have my doubts too about how long they can keep this price up.

I full support any magazine or company or individual that tries to promote the role playing industry. I am concerned that they claim to be the "only" licensed magazine for the GSL. That is not factual.

-Rocco
Editor-in-Chief
Dragon Roots Magazine
DRAGON ROOTS

Just because DR and KQ has 1 article per issue relating to 4e, it does not make them a 4e magazine. (IMO) Oh and KQ did not sign the GSL, last I checked.

 

[DM-Rocco]

Just because DR and KQ has 1 article per issue relating to 4e, it does not make them a 4e magazine. (IMO) Oh and KQ did not sign the GSL, last I checked.

That is fine, I have agreed and moved on about KQ, however we don't just print one 4e article and call it a 4e magazine.

Many of our articles offer tips and practical advice for campaign creation and things of that nature. Articles like this transcend edition.

In our last issue we had a Necromancer base class for 4e and an interview with the creators of 4e on why they made the changes they did, so I would count that as two articles. I would also include the article, “When nobody wants to play a rogue,” as a 4e article too, so that is three, plus all the other content that you can use for either edition. That for the record is 29 pages of 4e material without the content that can go towards either edition.

Last issue actually contained some AD&D material, a portion of the Tower of Gygax from the GenCon tournament tribute module written by the original editor of AD&D Tim Kask.

In our future issues we will be about 50/50, trying to add in a 3.x adventure and a 4e adventure and articles for both editions. Even at this 50/50 split, at 70 pages perfect bound with very little ads, I would wager that we will, if we don’t already, have more 4e content within our pages than the 32 page Ogre Cave magazine.

I could be wrong and more power to them if I am. However, they can’t just go about claiming to be the first or only when they clearly are not.

 

[darjr]

I don't like being the bearer of bad news but this magazine is NOT the only print magazine licensed under the GSL that prints 4ematerial as they claim.

Please note that I don't think Goodman Games was making that claim. I think I may have by mistake.

I will absolutely have to check out 'DRAGON ROOTS'.

 

[DM-Rocco]

Please note that I don't think Goodman Games was making that claim. I think I may have by mistake.

I will absolutely have to check out 'DRAGON ROOTS'.

No worries, I'm not blaming you.

This is from their website:
"Called Level Up, the 32-page publication is the only print magazine licensed under the GSL."

Let me know if you order something off of our store. If you sign up for a subscription I'll throw in a Gary Gygax t-shirt. We try to give away to everyone

 

[SteveC]

I don't like being the bearer of bad news but this magazine is NOT the only print magazine licensed under the GSL that prints 4ematerial as they claim. Dragon Roots print and pdf magazine is licensed under GSL and the OGL and prints both 3.5 and 4e material and is at least 70 pages high quality print. Also, I am sure that Kobold Quarterly also contains 4e material. You can find out more information about Dragon Roots magazine at DRAGON ROOTS.

As to price, without knowing the full details about the print they are running or what their print run size is but going off of what I know from researching printers for Dragon Roots, $2 an issue would barely cover the printing costs after you pay for things like art and stuff. I have my doubts too about how long they can keep this price up.

I full support any magazine or company or individual that tries to promote the role playing industry. I am concerned that they claim to be the "only" licensed magazine for the GSL. That is not factual.

-Rocco
Editor-in-Chief
Dragon Roots Magazine
DRAGON ROOTS

This reply kind of puzzles me, as I'm not sure how the notion of another gaming print magazine could be seen by anyone as bad news.

But with that said, the reason I'm not picking up Kobold Quarterly (which I had heard of) or Dragon Roots (which I had not, but checked out after your post) is that they contain a mix of 3x and 4E material, with an emphasis on the 3x. For me, I have no use for 3x materials any more, since I'm through with that edition. I know that there are a lot of folks who still play 3x games, so I expect they're more your market. For me, an article or two on the system I'm playing is more than balanced out by a lot of stuff I'll never use. I'm still very happy you're doing what you are, because I miss Dragon/Dungeon in print, and hope you can keep things going. It looks like a lot of good stuff...it's just not what I need.

--Steve

 

[Jack99]

In our future issues we will be about 50/50, trying to add in a 3.x adventure and a 4e adventure and articles for both editions. Even at this 50/50 split, at 70 pages perfect bound with very little ads, I would wager that we will, if we don’t already, have more 4e content within our pages than the 32 page Ogre Cave magazine.

Amount =/ quality.

Even if we assumed for a second that you are correct, any 4e player buying your magazine would still be paying for 50% or more of 3.x stuff. For some, that do not matter, for others (like me) it's a dealbreaker.

But good luck with DR. Maybe it is time this thread returns to what it is about, namely Level Up.

 

[DaveMage]

Actually, we at Dragon Roots have a special agreement with WOTC to use the GSL and the OGL for printing both 3.x and 4e material in the same pages, even though the GSL prohibits this.

Indeed - this is quite interesting.

 

[xechnao]

Amount =/ quality.

What do you want to say here?