Gygax Magazine, how is it?

[Scorpio616]

Been considering getting the magazine, but I'd like to hear what folks think of it. What does it generally cover?

What Games?
What genres?
Any mention of miniature gaming?

In general is it worth the print price?

 

[CSwizzy]

I'd like to know as well. I met one of their writers at a panel discussion last year at Gen Con (can't remember his name for the life of me, but he had an epic beard!). Would also like to know some more info before I decide to subscribe.

 

[pickin_grinnin]

I have one issue. It's okay - a lot like the old Dragon magazine - but for me it's not worth almost $10 per issue. I don't buy magazine PDFs, so chances are I won't buy any more copies of it unless the price drops and/or the amount of content goes up.

I'm a stickler for magazine prices, though. If you don't mind paying as much for a magazine as a pocket paperback book, it's not a bad one to buy.

 

[ephemeron]

You can see the table of contents and a preview of a significant chunk of each issue at RPGNow/DriveThruRPG (my link is to the latest issue, #4). It's not quite flipping through a physical magazine, but should help convey a sense of what it does and how it does it.

 

[gamerprinter]

Gygax magazine has good production values - its a pretty magazine (I have issue #2 in print form). I'd agree that the cover price is a bit steep, but the print magazine industry is a tough market to play in. Paizo has pretty much stated this in their "history" review. I think the biggest problem in the continuing development of the magazine is finding enough advertisers to pay for its existence. The only way the cover price can come down, is if the advertising quotas are fulfilled paying for its production. In truth the costs in printing magazines generally exceed the cover price (this is true for all printed magazines), as the cover price only helps defray the cost of distribution. Normally advertising entirely pays the cost and profits of production.

I was given 2 full pages of ad space in issue #2 for some print trade bids (for both the Kaidan setting of Japanese horror and Gamer Printshop to promote my map tutorial book kickstarter which was active during issue #2 release) - something I greatly appreciated, however, no way I could afford outright as a very small publishing concern.

 

[pickin_grinnin]

You're right about how expensive it is to do magazines these days, and how difficult it is to find advertisers from such niche ones. It's even harder if Barnes and Noble doesn't carry it, so it can reach a broader rpg audience. It may be distributed at some B&Ns, for all I know, but I have never seen it at one here.

I would probably buy it (or subscribe to it) if it were a few dollars cheaper, even if that meant printing on less expensive paper. It's not that I'm a miser or anything like that. I already have a few specialty magazines that I pay $10 for, mainly because they offer things I can't easily find online. It reached the point where I had to step back and look at how much I was willing to spend each month on magazines, though, so I'm much pickier these days.

It's a nice magazine with some interesting articles, and I wouldn't want to dissuade anyone from checking it out.

 

[Baron Greystone]

It's a nice magazine, very reminiscent of Dragon back in the old day. I supported their efforts with a 1 yr subscription, and I think the pdf they just sent me is #4, the last of my sub. $10 each is a lot to pay for a magazine, although I suppose there's a break on a sub deal. I enjoy the magazine, and depending on the renewal cost, I will probably resubscribe. I understand that it costs to produce a magazine, but that doesn't give me any more disposable income.