[UPDATED] Dragon+: An Official D&D iOS App

Dragon Magazine on iOS

apparently some folks are finding this in the iOS news stand app...I'm still investigating so in the meantime...I'm just going to put this here

View attachment 68157

 

[darjr]

Well, the good news here is that the content in question isn't something that most DMs or players are going to miss. The meaty content that Wizards is putting out is being released on their website. (Unearthed Arcana, Sage Advice, etc.) Folks might enjoy reading the content, but I don't think you will ever sit down at a table and have somebody say, "oh, you didn't read This Article from Dragon+?" At least not based on what we've seen from the first issue.
.

I very much disagree. The travelogue article and the trinket article are the very kind of article I'd say that about.

 

[redrick]

I very much disagree. The travelogue article and the trinket article are the very kind of article I'd say that about.

The trinket article is nice. Though I believe those same trinkets are all available from the Wizards website. (You miss out on the artwork, which is too bad, because it's nice and evocative.)

My understanding of the travelogue article is that it summarizes information already contained in the Princes of the Apocalypse adventure, though I may have misunderstood. I am playing in that campaign as a player, so I skipped it because I saw lots of indications here that it was spoiler-rich.

I'm not trying to trash the publication. I'm not overly impressed, but I'm also not overly concerned that a free product doesn't knock my socks off. The iPhone 4 that I used to download it doesn't handle it very well (it claims to be optimized for iPhones 5 and 6), which is another downside, but I look forward to the Android release when I can read it on my actual smart phone, and I will certainly check out the upcoming issues.

Still, I wouldn't feel cheated if this were something that I didn't have access to. It's like a free cup of coffee, or free samples. Happy to have them. But not essential by any stretch, and mostly intended to get me to buy the featured products.

 

[Hussar]

Then again that travelogue article was very interesting to me since I don't have Princes nor will I buy it. So it's something that I can yoink for my game.

 

[SkidAce]

It is a good opportunity for WotC. The app is a marketing tool. It lets them reach people who do not frequent their website or places like ENworld. They can reach people anywhere anytime. It also lets them mine data from the people who are interested in D&D. Promotion of products and market research are good opportunities for a corporation. Less for content starved fans.

Calling it Dragon was probably what let some people to think it was the old mag being brought back to life. Sure, it is early and maybe in a few months it will be gorged with original playtested content, but I'm pretty sure what we'll see are links to articles we already find on D&D's website. The rest will be ads and promotion. I wonder if it qualifies as native advertising?

It should be clear by now. We are not going to see the past level of content, and probably not more than what we are getting now (APs and random articles on website). WotC has moved away from the RPG business. "D&D isn't a RPG" to paraphrase Nathan Stewart. I think it will take some time for people to realize this. Get expectations down.

I was with you until the last paragraph.

 

[seebs]

So if it's in a magazine you're "forced to" buy a magazine, and if it's on the website, you're "forced to" use a computer, and if it's a YouTube video you're "forced to" use YouTube?

There is a world of difference between "forced to [verb]" and "forced to [verb] in order to [other-verb]".

Sure, OK. Deliberately emotive language is deliberately emotive, but, sure, in this world content is often provided on different platforms, and this is not unusual, arduous, or problematic.

The language doesn't seem particularly "deliberately emotive" to me. It's true that content is often provided on different platforms, but every other example you gave (website, youtube, magazine) is significantly more broadly accessible. I can view YouTube content on at least three or four major computer platforms, on any of three or four tablet/phone operating systems, and I think on some game consoles. Web site? Same deal, only moreso. Magazine? I don't need a specific gizmo to read it at all. iOS/Android app? That rules out all the computers, Windows Phones, or anything else.

I don't know anyone who couldn't read stuff that was done with a web site, youtube video, or magazine format. I know a fair number of people who can't read stuff that requires an iOS or Android app without spending a lot of additional money on hardware.

Similarly, with the website, I'd have a really broad range of choices about how to view the content. With the app, I have a much, much, narrower range, and most of them aren't the choices I'd make.

For me, anyway, the net effect is that I likely won't end up reading the new Dragon, even though I used to subscribe back when it was a paper magazine.

 

[guachi]

We already have the web and pdfs, both of which are platform agnostic methods of delivering information. Instead, WotC intentionally made their ad-filled free content only available on one type of operating system and limited to a subset of device types.

I find this rush by many companies for a mobile presence odd as I rarely find a mobile site I like better than a non-mobile version. Sorry, WotC, I give this effort a 'D'.

 

[Mistwell]

What is with the blindspot people have for seeing PC/Mac in the announcement?
And even if they had not said that, guys, you can view Android apps on a PC/Mac with a free tool.

 

[guachi]

It's only available as an iOS app currently, correct? So I can't use it. WotC wants me to download some free tool from somewhere to download some app so I can read something that you could have just posted on a website.

If a PC version comes along that I like, I'll consider giving them something higher than a 'D'. And even if they make an Android app for my Android phone I'd still give it a 'D'. I use my phone all the time but aside from texting and the GPS, I use an app about once a week.

WotC wants to push the D&D "brand" it's incumbent upon them to make it easy/pleasant for me to use.

 

[Hussar]

There's a reason the android app takes longer. There's only one OS for iPhones and barring some old iPhones any app will work on all of them.

Android apps are a lot more complicated. This isn't something Wotc can do anything about. It's pretty typical that apps hit iPhone before Android. That's just the nature of the beast.

Good grief. How about showing just the slightest bit of patience? You bought an Android phone knowing that apps appear more slowly. Why bitch about things you already know?

 

[Zaran]

It's only available as an iOS app currently, correct? So I can't use it. WotC wants me to download some free tool from somewhere to download some app so I can read something that you could have just posted on a website.

If a PC version comes along that I like, I'll consider giving them something higher than a 'D'. And even if they make an Android app for my Android phone I'd still give it a 'D'. I use my phone all the time but aside from texting and the GPS, I use an app about once a week.

WotC wants to push the D&D "brand" it's incumbent upon them to make it easy/pleasant for me to use.

You need to relax. The Android app is coming.