Previews for Dungeon 137, 138, 139 and Dragon 346, 347, 348

[takasi]

That's fair. However, while reading the "Core Beliefs: Olidammara" article, I was struck with how cool it would be to play a Cleric/Rogue associated with that deity. That meant that the article had value to me quite aside from any connection to a setting. The same would almost certainly not have been true of a generic article about "Gods of Rogues".

What was it about the article you liked?

You may have thought it was cool to play a rogue where all of the minute details are taken into consideration, but it's really up to the DM to decide the role of religion and rogues in the campaign. He can work with you, but what if these things don't make sense in the table's game world?

I think the utility of the article could have been retained (and possibly improved) if it was titled something like "Core Beliefs: Luck and Trickery". Would it have been as interesting to read? No. However, look at the most useful books in D&D. The PHB, the DMG and the MM aren't as captivating as a novel or even a campaign supplement. There are much better books to entertain you while you curl up in front of a warm fire. Even so, they're still the core resources for D&D.

Presumably, you wouldn't argue the same way if they produced a hardback "Faiths of Greyhawk" book compiling the equivalent of the Core Beliefs for all the core deities?

I would find it incredibly odd if WotC or Paizo produced a Faiths of Greyhawk sourcebook right now. I would expect a new world overview book, followed by a races or monster book and maybe a few regional supplements first.

(Bearing in mind that eventually we will have a full series, assuming it remains popular, the people involved don't get bored, and circumstances don't change such that continuing becomes either pointless or impossible.)

You've summed up two of my dislikes of this series: "eventually" and "assuming".

The other two article series that have been really excellent recently, the Creature Collection and the Demonomicon, truly are setting-neutral, though.

I disagree with this to a certain degree on the Demonomicon. A significant portion of these articles go into history and backstory that defines setting specific absolutes.

Contrast this with the Creature Collection, which generally presents less detail on how the creature fits into the world and focuses more on the mechanics and encounter descriptions.

The ecology articles are also frequently presented in a world intrusive manner.

Don't get me wrong, I still find a great deal of utility in the crunch presented. I like seeing stats for the demons, their aspects and their monsters. Most of the flavor presented isn't as useful though. I still read it though, just like I'll read Silicon Sorcery, Cities of the Realms and other fiction that I'll probably rarely refer to after the first read.

Refusing to buy an issue because it includes no FR-specific material, when it does include one or the other of these two features, strikes me as an odd decision, to be honest.

I can understand. Despite what hardcore fans may believe, Paizo's magazines aren't staples for many gamers. In fact, for some DMs the options presented in Dragon are anathema and banned from their tables. In these cases the magazines may only interest buyers if they contain setting specific flavor because the crunch, regardless of its adaptability, is useless to them as players.

For example, if I'm a player in a Forgotten Realms game how does the Creature Catalog help me? I can tell my DM these creatures are neat, but generally the DM decides what the players will fight. How does the Demonomicon help players? I don't see how either of these features would make the magazine more appealing to this player, but I can see why he would want to pick up an issue that provides some info on the Realms.

I believe the same can be said of Dungeon too. Some DMs may skip Dungeon issues if they don't see adventures tailored for specific settings.

Before the Crash, someone suggested that one way to get FR and Eberron material into every issue of Dragon might be to add a feature similar to Class Acts - a two-page article for each setting each month. I thought that was a good idea, and so bears repeating.

The editors said they're considering this, but nothing has been decided yet.

 

[dargoth3]

We've got FR content in some of these issues. Like I said, we have to write these solicitations months before the magazines get produced. In that time we've accepted at least two good FR submissions, and I've got another one on my desk that clocks in at..... 20 Microsoft Word pages.

So there's FR stuff coming, I assure you.

--Erik

Speaking of Realms articles whens Eds 2nd Cities of Faerun article going to appear in Dragon? (its got to be at least 9 months since the first one came out)

 

[Shade]

DUNGEON MAGAZINE #138 SEP. 2006
Dungeon’s special 20th Anniversary issue is packed with a complete adventure index and
four exciting D&D adventures! Pit your problem-solving skills against a horde of
adventurers in “Challenge of Champions VI,” the latest installment of the popular series,
and take a trip backwards in Dungeon’s past with a revised edition of “Mud Sorcerer’s
Tomb,” ranked the best Dungeon adventure by a panel of experts back in issue #116’s
popular “30 Greatest Adventures of All Time” feature.

This sounds like a very nice issue.

 

[BOZ]

indeed!

 

[Matafuego]

Going back on topic...
VECNA! YES!
Can't wait for that one...

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Come on now, that's not really the point for some people. Why doesn't Dungeon add flavor and adapt some of its more watered down Plain Jane vanilla sword and sorcery adventures to worlds like Greyhawk, Eberron or the Forgotten Realms? Their logic (though I disagree with it) is that fans of settings want adventures that were designed from the ground up to be a part of the setting. Well, isn't it logical that some DMs might have the same high standards for what "generic" material they will use too?

I've got bad news for you: The Forgotten Realms ARE a generic setting. The only thing that makes 99 percent of the content in Dungeon not FR content is the names of the locations and gods. That's it. If the entire basis of your crusade is "I don't want to play in a generic freaking adventure set in a generic freaking world because they didn't go to the trouble of inserting the world 'Dalelands' for me," that's between you and your therapist.

There is a much larger supply of "generic" material out on the market

No, there isn't. The vast majority of adventures being produced in any given year come from Dungeon. Everyone else is tying their adventures into a given setting. Even Goodman Games is coming out with DCC World that all of their adventures will theoretically be based in. Like the Forgotten realms, it's 99 percent generic, but what's good for the goose is good for the gander.

and it makes sense that some people are going to pass on some of Paizo's products if they're only churning out the same old same old.

"This generic content doesn't fit in with my OTHER generic content! Dear lord, it's like trying to mix vanilla with French vanilla, YOU FOOLS!"

I envy your life if this is the biggest problem you face, which it certainly seems to be, since you never talk about anything else.

 

[Evilhalfling]

August puts the focus on adventurers, with extensive articles on creating characters using
the popular Three-Dragon Ante card game, naming your adventuring party, and several
tavern games popular with adventuring characters from all corners of the world

popular? 3D ante? tavern games? sigh.
well at least I won't have to consider buying this one.. the Arcomentals issue will get a hard look, although its likely that my players will already have gotten flattened by Orgemoch (Earth Prince)

no demonomicon? I guess I will have to be satisfied with the fiendish codex

 

[MatthewJHanson]

no demonomicon? I guess I will have to be satisfied with the fiendish codex

The next Demonomicon (Kostchtchie) is going to be in next month's issue (#345).

 

[BOZ]

and the next one after that will be in #349 featuring... ??? we'll find out.

 

[Brakkart]

and the next one after that will be in #349 featuring... ??? we'll find out.

I'd imagine that one of the next couple Demonomicon articles after Kostchtchie will be Demogorgon, so as to tie in with the Savage Tide adventure path in Dungeon.

Personally I'd LOVE to see an article that fully details Iggwilv. A complete history, stats and some new spells/items etc (she's got to have some cool unique gear). Would be a nice companion piece to the various Demonomicon articles, to detail their fictional author (though I'm sure d20 Modern players could find a use for stats for James Jacobs too!)