Things I dislike about Dragon Mag.

[Richards]

As an aspiring fantasy author myself, one of my dreams is to get printed in Dragon. It's a great outlet for writers.

Sadly, Dragon is no longer accepting fiction submissions from freelancers. It looks like you'll have to become an established fantasy writer along a different track before being invited in to write fiction for Dragon.

Johnathan

 

[Dragongirl]

Very very rarely will I read the fiction section. I would rather it not be there. As for the "fluff" articles, I like them. JM2CW

 

[Churchill]

Fictionless...

I don't think I've ever read any of the fiction in Dragon. Ever. And the first issue of the magazine I picked up new was #28. Which doesn't mean I don't read fantasy fiction (or fiction in general); I do...usually a novel or two a week.

Personally, I'd rather they stopped having the fiction in the magazine. I don't know what their current pay rates are, but there was a time when Dragon was in the top ten (or so) as far as how much they paid for a short story.

Not that I don't think writers should get good money. They should. But...there are a heck of alot more markets for fiction writers than there are for game writers. I'd rather see them re-budget the fiction money into more material that's directly game related. And I'd rather the space dedicated to fiction was used for more game material.

Anywho.

The fiction being in the magazine doesn't cause me any pain, I just think that the resources (space and money) it requires would be better used for more game stuff.

(And the "fluff" articles don't bother me either. There's always been at least some little bit I could steal...um...learn from it.)

 

[Skade]

Do you like every article in Maxim, or Newsweek? I don't know anyone that reads a magazine cover to cover with the same gusto throughout. You skim, read the most compelling article first, read a few more maybe, and then, its randomly opening a page and seeing if anything catches your eye. The fiction is fine. I usually don'tg read it unless I have some time on my hands, and I will read several at once. The Fool Wolf series was pretty intersting. I think that what many people miss is that DnD does tend to be s story medium. Most of the fiction in Dragon could easily be done as a DnD session. Look at it as a dose of inspiration, or an idea generator. It does serve a purpose to the DnD market.

 

[Kershek]

I also don't read any of the fiction in Dragon. I'm interested in the crunchy bits. However, I recognize that there are those who do read it, otherwise it wouldn't be there.

 

[KDLadage]

Do you like every article in Maxim, or Newsweek?

Nope, but I really think that is beside the point.

I don't know anyone that reads a magazine cover to cover with the same gusto throughout. You skim, read the most compelling article first, read a few more maybe, and then, its randomly opening a page and seeing if anything catches your eye.

Agreed.

The fiction is fine.

I disagree. This is not a fiction magazine. This is a gaming magazine. So unless the fiction is being shown within the context of gaming, it does not belong in a gaming magazine.

I usually don'tg read it unless I have some time on my hands, and I will read several at once. The Fool Wolf series was pretty intersting. I think that what many people miss is that DnD does tend to be s story medium. Most of the fiction in Dragon could easily be done as a DnD session.

Then give the context of how this can be used in a gaming environment, and I no longer have a problem with the fiction being there.

Look at it as a dose of inspiration, or an idea generator. It does serve a purpose to the DnD market.

In the market, yes. In Dragon Magazine, no. Consider this:

Suppose you have a subscription to GAMES magazine (a fine magazine, by the way). And suddenly, 8-10 pages per issue were devoted to Victorian Era historical-fiction. Even if the fiction were to deal with gaming on a subtle level, it is out of place.

Suppose you have a subscription to AMAZING STORIES magazine (another old favorite I have not read in years). And suddenly, 8-10 pages per issue were devoted to Dungeons and Dragons feats and prestige classes. Although you may not mind, I am sure a large portion of the readership would be a bit confused, if not miffed.

Suppose you have a subscription to WOMEN'S DAY magazine (one that my wife reads a lot of) and suddenly 8-10 pages per issue were devoted to masculine issues.

The point here is that the magazine is DRAGON and it is the official magazine of DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS and no matter the content of the fiction one might want to include, no matter the quality of the writing, or the calibre of the author -- without a gaming context, without an angle that directly relates to gaming specifically, it is out of place. It does not belong in the magazine.

Give me fiction with context -- sure. Until then, let these authors submit their fiction to any of the (literally) hundreds of venues for such work.

IMVHO, YMMV, yadda yadda yadda...

 

[Felon]

Dragon Covers

I don't know if I find it more amusing than irksome, but does anyone notice that Dragon magazine covers are now presented in the same generic format of, say, Vogue or Cosmopolitan? Instead of a busty model showing off an evening dress, there's a ferocious monster brandishing its fangs. Instead of blurbs about articles like "10 ways to keep your lover satisfied", we get "10 ways to keep your DM satisfied". It borders on self-parody.

The problem with this presentation is that magazines like Cosmo are composed of nothing but fluff pieces, so imitating their hype-over-subsctance-oriented cover formula is bound makes Dragon look less "crunchy". For instance, one of the blurbs from a month or two ago was "FREE XP! No Weapons Needed!" Wow, doesn't that just grab you? But what's the article actually about? Some sort of rules for character training perhaps? An article about the appropriate amount of XP to give characters in a higher-powered campaign maybe? A nice little piece about awarding XP for solving riddles perchance? Well, best anyone can tell, the blurb concerned an article about using Diplomacy, Intimidate, and Bluff in social encounters. The really shabby part of all this is that while the article provides some interesting options for the skills, it does not provide details for awarding XP for successful use of these skills. Not only was the blurb uninformative, it was a bit deceptive too.

 

[Agamon]

The fiction for the past 3-4 years has been great (well, aside, aside from the last few issues which weren't that good - I haven't read Martin's entry yet, I don't have #305). Fool Wolf was awesome, Bova's Arthur stories were great, and most of the one-shots in the end of 2E/first couple years of 3E were very good.

Didn't much like the Shannara story (which wasn't surprising, I don't like Shannara), the D&D novel tie-ins were, at best, sub-par, but for the most part, the fiction's been good. I haven't liked the last few, which are the ones that have been put in since Piazo took over, though I'm hoping that's just coincidence.

I don't have a lot of time to read anymore, so I like the addition of the fiction in Dragon. I can read some decent fiction without having to devout myself to an entire series of books.

 

[KnowTheToe]

I also do not read the fiction part of Dragon, but I can understand why it is there. It's flavor. Good fiction was the birth of D&D and the gaming industry. Without the inspirations of our favorite authors and movie producers we would not want to play the game.

 

[mkarol]

The point here is that the magazine is DRAGON and it is the official magazine of DUNGEONS AND DRAGONS and no matter the content of the fiction one might want to include, no matter the quality of the writing, or the calibre of the author -- without a gaming context, without an angle that directly relates to gaming specifically, it is out of place. It does not belong in the magazine.

D&D is more than rolling d20s, assigning skill points, and choosing armor. There are D&D novels. There are D&D movies (well, there was one...). There are D&D comics, suggestions, computer games, rules lawyer-ing, and last but not least, fiction.

Does a piece of fiction set in FR or GH belong in Dragon? Does a piece of fiction set elsewhere (which may become a d20 setting)? Absolutely, because it rounds out the experience. Does an article explaining how to take elements from NeverWinter Nights (the CRPG) and place it in your d20 game belong in the magazine? Absolutely. Dragon isn’t (or shouldn't be imho) just about new uses for old skills, new monsters, and new feats; it should be a tool to draw all the divergent D&D elements from across the creative fold into one useful tool.