To James Jacobs: A Growing Problem with Dungeon Magazine

[Hussar]

As a side note, why have none of the d20 publishers ever taken up this idea of a d20 adventure magazine? Use OGL material from various sources and crank out magazines?

The snarky side of me wants to say that very very few d20 publishers have ever used material from other companies anyway, so why start now.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

You designate what is open and what is not open by the terms of the OGL. It's really not difficult at all. Contents of the magazine don't have to be open, if you don't designate them as open?

Of course, you can't declare Open Content you swipe from another product as closed content in your product, and if Wizards of the Coast doesn't want any open content in Dragon or Dungeon - and they still own the magazines, remember - Paizo's hands are tied.

 

[Arnwyn]

That is the most bizarre thing I've ever heard. It's WoTC's license, yet - you can't benefit from it? You designate what is open and what is not open by the terms of the OGL. It's really not difficult at all. Contents of the magazine don't have to be open, if you don't designate them as open?

No. AFAIK, you can't close content that was originally open.

I thought the whole theory of the OGL/SRD stuff was to expand the ideas being utilized by the community at large? But, when it comes down it, WoTC is really only interested in having people play in their own sandbox.

No, it's to sell WotC PHBs. Period.

 

[smootrk]

I wonder if any publisher has thought of putting out extra/supplemental/additional content out on the web via a Wiki environment? This would allow their audience to update, edit, and add to the materials being handed out. It certainly removes quite a bit of the editorial process (and cost), because it would be assumed that this additional material is in a very raw form and waiting for fanbase contribution. Who knows?... it may lead to content that can be put into actual book/magazine form, all gleaned from freely contributed works.

I would, if I were a publisher, maintain strict oversight over an endeavor like this, but it really sounds like a no-brainer to me.

 

[kenobi65]

As a side note, why have none of the d20 publishers ever taken up this idea of a d20 adventure magazine? Use OGL material from various sources and crank out magazines?

The snarky side of me wants to say that very very few d20 publishers have ever used material from other companies anyway, so why start now.

Magazine publishing is a risky venture, and the death rate for gaming magazines is pretty high. Given that, from a broad standpoint, Dungeon pretty much already has the "D&D adventures" niche covered, I imagine that the publishers don't see a while lot of upside potential in trying to create a rival to it.

 

[D'karr]

Of course, you can't declare Open Content you swipe from another product as closed content in your product, and if Wizards of the Coast doesn't want any open content in Dragon or Dungeon - and they still own the magazines, remember - Paizo's hands are tied.

I think that the real hand tying is the fact that Dungeon and Dragon have a license to produce 100% OFFICIAL DUNGEONS & DRAGONS content...

Anything published by Paizo in those magazines would become much more than just d20 content.

That is the real reason why you won't see any OGL or d20 content from third party publishers in those magazines.

 

[James Jacobs]

Web enhancements are not simple or easy to produce. Just becuase it's free or going online doesn't give us an excuse to slack on the production value or the editing. And alas, editing and producing web enhancements takes time and requires multiple departments at Paizo to accomplish. It's hard enough for us to get the maps & art supplements and the Eberron/Forgotten Realms Adventure Path conversions up in a timely matter. Adding new content to the enhancements certainly won't swiften the process.

In any case, Glyfair's exactly right. Production of the content's not a problem. We use freelancers for it. But the development, editing, layout, and web mojo are all things we don't contract out—they're all done in house, by the same folk who put out 2 magazines a month (not to mention other products like item cards, map packs, hardcover books, art books, board games, etc.).

 

[takasi]

Just becuase it's free or going online doesn't give us an excuse to slack on the production value or the editing.

Why do the conversion notes take so long to edit? There's no layout involved anymore, they're just text documents pasted into pdf.

I can understand a few weeks after you get them from the writers, but we always end up waiting month after month after month. Is this really something that takes you more than half an hour to look at? I can't imagine the editing being THAT bad. I probably take more time editing my posts on EN World than I would need to edit the conversion notes.

I think the time you take waiting to publish them does a lot more damage on the "value" than the amount of effort you probably spend on editing the notes. At this point I would be happy with the rough drafts early rather than all i's dotted and t's crossed a day late.

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Why do the conversion notes take so long to edit? There's no layout involved anymore, they're just text documents pasted into pdf.

Did you miss the part of the excerpt you quoted that mentioned "production value". Its not quite the wand waving you make it out to be.

 

[mhacdebhandia]

Yes, Takasi, we know what you think about everything, but you don't know what you're talking about.