Minority Opinion: Why is the loss of the magazines just fine?

[mattcolville]

I think the material in those magazines is better suited for the web anyway. I don't mourn the loss of the mags, I look forward to the web stuff.

 

[Elrith]

Can't reply

I can't reply to this poll, because the loss of Dragon and Dungeon as physical magazine is not acceptable to me. I don't play computer games and I prefer the physical existance of a product over e-contenct.

I do buy pdfs, but don't read on screen, and therefore do not buy pdfs that would be cost-prohibited to print (so no full color).

Elrith

 

[Bardsandsages]

GMs are over-represented on DnD forums, and Dragon magazine isn't designed for them. They don't want players bringing barely playtested or unbalanced stuff to them; it's like a mini-splatbook every month.

I have a friend who gets both Dungeon and Dragon every month. And every month, he comes to me with something cool he found in one or the other that he wants to use in the game. 70% of the time, I've said outright NO because it would have thrown the game out of kilter.

I guess I'm just indifferent. Even the stuff I've allowed in my games wasn't materially constructive to the gaming experience. It rarely resolved any gaps or filled any void. If I need a specific type of fill-in-the-blank whatever that I can't find in the 200+ print books sitting on my shelves, I can find it digitally at my PDF distributor of choice instead of waiting around for what I need to possibly turn up in a monthly magazine.

Yes, its sad to see an "institution" go. But the realities of the hobby have changed substantially. One of my gamers brought a laptop to the game Wednesday. He bought the laptop exclusively for gaming so he doesn't have to haul all his books around. And as much as I've been resisting it, I'll probably be getting a laptop for similar reasons soon as well. Digital content is easier to store and search. I can find files on my computer from two years ago in a couple seconds. Not so easy to search two years of magazines.

 

[Dinkeldog]

Let's keep things polite, please, people.

 

[Hussar]

While I think Dragon is the best it's been in a very, very long time, there's no reason to think that it won't continue to be good as an e-mag. There's no reason to think that there won't continue to be some of the same great articles that we've seen of late. It makes no sense for WOTC to throw the baby out with the bathwater.

Now, at least, it might be possible to get the stat blocks in electronic format - and it makes disseminating information a whole lot easier between me and my players. I can cut and paste into an email and away we go.

 

[Nightfall]

Let's keep things polite, please, people.

So I can say "I like cheese!"

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Ever since its inception, I haven't used Dragon or Dungeon Magazines. When I've looked through them, I have been consistently nonplussed. So, their no longer being in print doesn't bother me in the slightest.

 

[Nightfall]

Inv,

Neither does the loss of Swiss cheese or Gouda bother me.

 

[InVinoVeritas]

Yeah, the cheese factor was a big thing, too. For a while, when polling for new players, an interest in Dragon Magazine content was a big red flag...

 

[grimslade]

Magazines can get stained

The Digital Initiative could be fan-freakin-tastic or utter dreck. No one knows. All I know is the guys and gals who brought some really great content to Dungeon & Dragon are staying at Paizo to use their editing powers for Pathfinder and Game Mastery adventures. I have no clue who is running the digital initiative. That worries me.
There were a lot talented authors writing content for Erik and crew. The editors took those individual contributions and formed a really good whole from it. I was comfortable with a subscription to Dungeon or Dragon because I knew that the editors would find good stuff to fill it. DI is an unknown and untested format. I see many contentless months after the print run of Dragon/Dungeon ends.