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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 6163469" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dragon Issue 328: February 2005part 1/773(100) pages. 3.0 got themed issues for each of the races individually. For 3.5 it looks like they're doing another condensed version, cramming all the demihuman races into one like they did with the classes. Since I'm generally not keen on these shallow skimming themed issues, this once again makes me sigh. Let's see if the individual articles are pleasing, despite not combining into a greater whole. Scan Quality: Excellent, unindexed, ad-free scan. In this issue:From the Editor: Unlike Matthew, who spent half a year carefully examining the letters and forums to figure out what to change formatwise after he became editor, Erik wastes no time at all in spelling out his intentions. After all, who knows how long you'll have the job, better to make your mark while you can and make people remember you. So the regular columns will become decidedly less so, all the better to fit in big features with lots of cool setting material in. Of course, given their leadup times, it'll still be a few months before this policy really gets going, but still, It's good to see. As long as the magazine continues to evolve and try new things, it's much easier to find something to say about it. Scale Mail: We start off by quibbling over the precise wording of monty python quotes, which definitely feels like missing the point to me. But then again, some people would say that humour is the only thing you should take seriously. The next letter is from someone wondering what the reference is in the ale and wenches thing from issue 326. Which makes me realise they didn't actually have appropriate articles inside. False Advertising! Boo! A more familiar tale is that of someone who gamed when young, stopped for a while, and has now started up again thanking them for keeping going. And it turns out she was the one who originally taught Erik to play back in the day. It is indeed a small world after all. …… Maybe too small at times, as our next letter concerns the possibility of updating the other Forgotten Realms continents to 3e. Does the magazine have the courage to make solid timeline advancements, or will they just be left in limbo while waterdeep and menzoberranzan get supplement after supplement? Also very much after my own heart is a letter praising them for trying to kill the overdone promotional blurbs. Unfortunately, the sales evidence shows that as long as they have to try and catch people's eyes on the newsstands, they are needed. The world is faster-paced and more competitive than the 80's, and that's really saying something. At least that's one thing that I already know definitely improves about the magazine once it goes electronic. Another niche topic that has it's strong fans, but not enough, is mass combat. This is another one you might get a one-off on, but it definitely isn't going to make regular appearances in the magazine.Weirdly enough, Lovecraft is more mainstream than mass combat these days, with plenty of praise for the themed issue, and more articles inspired by his works in the near future. Funny old thing, madness. It's more popular than you'd think. The revamp continues to inspire mixed feelings, often within individual people who like some changes, but not others. Here we get two more letters like that. They will continue to tweak the format based on feedback, which seems encouraging. One thing that's already notably changed is the return of Bazaar of the Bizarre. As we've already noted, Erik is far more of a setting buff than Matthew was, and that was one of the first things he fixed when he put on the viking hat. What's in a name? Well, memories, for a start. If you forget what you've already done, you're doomed to repeat yourself, as I've noted every time they change staff and the new ones cover the same basic topics again.</blockquote>

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