My "Best of the Dragon"

[Faraer]

These days I'm only buying issues with Ed Greenwood's "Elminster's Guide to the Realms" column -- his imagination is just head and shoulders above everything else in the magazine. (I like Tom Costa's work, but like most prestige classes, his in "Faiths of Faerûn" are generally spurious, as the first of those articles (in #284) admits.) Shorn of setting context and shared sensibility, the purportedly "useful" rules-heavy articles are useless to me, and the theme/advice pieces are inconsistently interesting but they're just magazine articles to be read once, not something I'm inclined to file and keep. I don't think it's Erik's fault -- RPG material targeted at players just tends to be contrived and of little lasting value.

My advice, Erik, is to switch Ed's column to Dungeon, along with the adventures, the World of Greyhawk material, and other stuff I like such as Dawn Ibach's.

And I still hope to one day see the unlabelled Marsember map from #113 posted, which would be a real service to the Realms.

 

[shady]

But that's a different comparison entirely than the one I was making, which was different flavors of D&D/d20.

Further, it's not really setting elements I am speaking if. It's more crunchy stuff. Core d20 stuff tends to be pretty formulaic. Not things like "synergistic spellbooks."

How quickly can you use new settings? Not very. How quickly can you use certain interesting and unique setting elements? Much quicker.

Possibly. Or, rather, probably. But I find setting material more inspiring, and I'm more likely to pick stuff up from it, than from random small increments, maybe because of the context. I'm probably getting more out of Eberron and Arcana right now than out of Dragon articles, for that reason. The context in CRPGs is typically fairly weak, and not particularly well described (or worth describing) in such an article.

I'm all for seeing add-on rules suggestions. Unearthed Arcana has a bunch of half worked stuff in it (for example, the traveller style character background stuff) that I'd like to see fleshed out. But if these are going to be trawled from CRPGs, I think that's a pretty thin genepool, which is probably why I find the articles so uninspiring.

Maybe it's just me though.

 

[Psion]

But I find setting material more inspiring, and I'm more likely to pick stuff up from it, than from random small increments, maybe because of the context.

That's cool. I'm not here to challenge what you like.

 

[Orius]

As a counterpoint, Silicon Sorcery is one that I always make sure to check out. Not because I play many electronic RPGs, because I don't. Rather because it seems sometimes that the accepted style of D&D has gotten into something of a rut, and the different style of some of the games that Silicon Sorcery translates help the author "think outside the box" and add something a little bit different than the norm.

I never liked Silicon Sorcery myself. I remember a few early columns covered D&D utilities like the Dragon archive and the FR Atlas, but it seemed to quickly degenerate into little more than a plug for the latest computer RPG. There were occasionally interesting articles that adapted some aspects of these games into D&D stats, but I think the article might have been better if it focused on utilities or tips on using computers to enhance the game.

 

[MerricB]

As the #1 Miniatures Fan on these boards, I think that the Miniatures column is at its best when it uses the miniatures for inspiration on some D&D topic rather than forcing the use of the miniatures.

Thus, the transformation spells - polymorph variants which allowed you to become forms represented by the miniatures, such as the Umber Hulk, and gaining their special abilities as well - were great, because they didn't need the miniatures and were useful to everyone.

Cheers!

 

[Arbiter of Wyrms]

The recent "relaunch" of both Dragon and Dungeon had me worried. I didn't, and still don't, like the new mastheads. I do recognize the need to appeal to the newsstand buyer, though, and I respect it. When it comes to a choice between a neato masthead and more players in the game, I'll happily take the latter. Some of the material I liked best about Dragon was moved to Dungeon, and that worried me a bit, too.
Resubscribing to Dungeon, I found that the new, more consistent, format is a vast improvement.
As for Dragon, I have to say that it is the only magazine from which I always read and enjoy the letter from the Editor.
The Features are the Features. They make any particular issue memorable because they're great or they're terrible, or, more often, they're better that mediocre. The point is, I subscribe beacause of the regularly appearing columns, Table Talk, to an extent, and especially, Familiars.
Amongst Table Talk: First Watch can go, as far as I care. Better, more timely, more in-depth, and varied resources on new and upcoming releases is readily available online. I'm glad that some people enjoy WotC's miniatures game, but to me, they're just miniatures for my D&D game. Under Command is the one part of the magazine for which I never have any use. Silicon Sorcery brings interesting new monsters, spells and magic items to the game frequently enough that I like its continued presence, but I was thinking that maybe, once you've gotten rid of Under Command, there might be room for a "Celluloid Sorcery" column, eliminating the need for me to stat out every cool movie monster and weapon I see in the coolest new action movies. Think Samael from Hellboy. Think of the mask Jim Carrey wears in The Mask. Think of the potion that Dr. Jekyl drank to become the Mr. Hyde we see in Van Helsing. Think how nicely this column would sandwich between Silicon Sorcery and the equally excellent and useful A Novel Approach. The comics are indespensible. Zogonia, Nodwick, Dork Tower: How could we ever do without? What I love about the Familiars columns is the consistancy. A monster in Ecology, Spells in Spellcraft, tactis, feats, items, a single prestige class, a new race (my wife loves new PC races); they're all terrific. I'm very impressed with the single page Class Acts, but I wonder how long you can keep up the pace and the quality. I wonder, too, why we don't see the psionic classes represented. Maybe they could appear on a rotating basis with classes like the Hexblade, the Favored Soul, and those niche PC classes from WotC's forthcoming books.
What I could have said in far fewer words is that I'm enormously pleased with the new Dragon, and I hope that Paizo keeps the familiars as they are and concentrates on tweaking Table Talk.
Ray Newland
via ENWorld

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Johnathan Richards Number 1 Fanboy

For me, the problem with Cramer (aka Crabapple) illustrations is not their gruesomeness but the sheer lack of talent that he possesses (normally I would include "IMO" but I'm not aware of any who would leap to his defence). A single illustration from him can undo 1,000 of the most creative words....

Back on topic, one of the things that would make Dragon more useful for me would be if there were a decent online index that could be sorted by, frex, monster, PrC, feat, spell etc.... In the past I have attempted my own but I lost it when my PC recently died.

I would also throw my "vote" behind the Ebon Maw article: it was outstanding and will no doubt shape a lot of my next campaign. As an article for DMs, I suppose this is the sort of thing that will be in future issues of Dungeon rather than Dragon?

I also prefer the older style Ecology of... articles, especially those by the previous poster, Johnathan Richards.

I may be in a minority these days, but I prefer DMing in the Forgotten Realms so I do look forward to FR articles particularly those related to the religions of FR. I also really appreciate Greyhawk material, such as the revisiting of the Vault of the Drow last year (IIRC), and also enjoy stuff for Eberron.

I would like to see more articles on planar sites like the city of Balefire from issue 322 (Darkness) as well as more unique planar BBEGs like the previously mentioned Ebon Maw.

I'm not so sure that I want to see any more feats and prestige classes but perhaps Paizo could post corrections of some of WotC's more egregious design errors (perhaps a whole new take on the Book of Exalted Deeds/Erroneous Design, frex).

I can't comment on any issues more recent than 322 because, as an international subscriber, I am three issues behind everybody else, including my FLGS. I wonder, Erik, is this ever going to change? I still don't understand how, in the 21st Century, there can be a class of mail that is slower than the clipper ships of the 19th Century....

Wow Eremite, there were a scary number of similarities with your post and my thoughts. Are you from Australia? If so I wouldn't feel too bad about the late subscriptions, you weren't alone. That was the reason I didn't renew my Dragon and Dungeon subs. It started out ok. I was getting my issues a couple of weeks before my FLGS. Towards the end though I was 2 issues behind the one that they had on sale. At one stage I didn't get any issues of either magazine for nearly 2 months.

Back to the discussion at hand, I too loved the old Ecology articles. Without trying to sound too much like a fanboy, Johnathan Richards would have to be in my top 3 D&D writers. I loved his Monster Hunter ecology articles (including footnotes!). The way he wrote them made them both informative and entertaining to read at the same time. I am a huge fan of his "Challenge of Champions" adventures in Dungeon and I also liked "Gorgoldand's Gauntlet".

Johnathan, are there any more "Challenge of Champions" adventures planned in the near future? What about any other adventures or articles? And while I'm asking, what other adventures or articles have you written for Dungeon or Dragon. Apart from the "Challenge of Champions", "Gorgoldand's Gauntlet" and the ecology articles I don't know of anything else that you have written. I would definitely like to find out though.

Eric, if you're still following this thread, more Johnathan Richards articles and adventures please!

Olaf the Stout

 

[Olaf the Stout]

Sounds like "The Ebon Maw" alright. Issue 312. By our own Mouseferatu.

Yeah, I like articles that provide opposition with campaign potential attached. A great example is, in issue 313, the article on Mad Dragons by Steven Palmer Peterson.

Does anyone know of any other articles that Mouseferatu has written? I think that they would be an enjoyable read at the least.

Olaf the Stout

 

[Algolei]

For me, the problem with Cramer (aka Crabapple) illustrations is not their gruesomeness but the sheer lack of talent that he possesses (normally I would include "IMO" but I'm not aware of any who would leap to his defence).

Yeowtch! I wouldn't go that far, but then again art is subjective. I like some aspects of his illustrations, but dislike others. His stuff has a certain clarity to it that I find nice, although some of them make my stomach sweat (and not in a good way). (Wait, there is no good way.) His Fossergrim (Fiend Folio) is a good example of this--creeps me right out, ick--goofy eyes, puffy lips, blech! On the other hand, his Bog Giant and Shadow Giant pics are quite nice.

 

[WizarDru]

I've always been rather fond of his one illustration in the Hero Guidebook, a series showing a half-orc being raised, tutored and suceeding a human cleric. I thought it was one of the most 'D&D' pictures in the books. I may not always like the content of Cramer/Crabapple's illustrations, but his technical work is good. The Oozemaster is fun, too.

Silicon sorcery, to me, is somewhat disappointing as I usually disagree with the rules implementations (such as the Asheron's Call article, which had good, but not really accurate or related, crunch) in the context of the game supposedly being modeled.

By and large, I truly enjoy the new Dragon, and I'm very glad we're away from syncing up with WotC release schedule. I'll have to sit and think about my favorites...but the Campaign materials from the early 300s were some of my favorites (like the swashbuckling materials, especially the parrying feats, or the gladiatorial issues).