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Message: <blockquote data-quote="(un)reason" data-source="post: 6251632" data-attributes="member: 27780">Dragon Issue 356: June 2007part 1/682 (100) pages So it's their 31st birthday. And here is where the magazine reports it's imminent demise. Not the kind of thing to put you in a celebratory mood. Since we found out on the forums in april, it once again goes to show. Lead-up times are still an issue in the electronic age, and indeed are one of the big things hurting newspapers and other print media as they struggle to compete. By going online they can sell the same amount of material for less and still make the same amount themselves, and react far faster. But in the process, they cut a load of people out of the distribution chain, leaving them literally redundant. It certainly doesn't feel like a happy ending. Still, it's not over yet. Let's see if they've been given enough time to go out with style. Scan Quality: Good, indexed, ad-free scan. In this issue:Editorial: Safe to say that Erik was just as surprised, and possibly even more shocked than the average reader to find out about the magazine's demise. After all, they'd gone to great lengths to maintain a positive relationship with WotC, while also trying as hard as possible to make the magazine a success. But then again, perhaps it was that success that made them so eager to take it back. After all, they handled the magazine in house for over 20 years without any problems. Plus the way they'd started bringing back settings they licensed out several years in advance, and dramatically cut down on the amount of new OGL material they released should have been pretty strong hints that things were changing in there, and not all in ways that were friendly to them. So now they have to figure out how to keep the company alive, when their previous attempts at independent material like Amazing Stories and Undefeated tanked. Since one thing they've consistently got more praise than WotC in since splitting is their adventures and setting material, that just might be something to focus on. You never know. So oddly enough, while this looks like bad news, it already shows them preparing for their survival, which we know in hindsight worked pretty well. That is very interesting to note. They aren't stupid. The magazine may end, but life is definitely going to go on. After a pessimistic start, I can already be a little more hopeful after reading this. Scale Mail: The letters still aren't quite caught up with the news. Our first one is though, and wants to thank them for all the memories, while hoping there'll be plenty more in the electronic age. Since the forum response to the issues hasn't got any less dramatic throughout 4e and Next, I think we'll be able to look back on them with interest as well in the distant future. Our next letter is a complaint that they've sent in a question to Sage Advice repeatedly and never got an answer. The Sage always got more questions than he could answer, and that's only got worse since they cut his page count. Try not to get too upset about it. And finally, we have another request for a full 3.5 conversion of the Modron Hierarchs. They probably won't have time now, but they aren't ruling anything out. Still the possibility for a last minute saving throw, as always. We live in hope despite life repeatedly demonstrating no-one gets out alive, and no real story ends cleanly.</blockquote>

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