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Rocket your D&D 5E and Level Up: Advanced 5E games into space! Alpha Star Magazine Is Launching... Right Now!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Arcane Runes Press" data-source="post: 1886982" data-attributes="member: 402">Well... I buy it (to see what other writers are coming up with, and to keep up with the mag's style in case I want to submit articles again), but not with much enthusiasm.Generally, there's not much passion in the magazine anymore. I see usable mechanics, sometimes innovative mechanics, but I don't see text with them that makes me want to use them.The text is dry, in other words, and lacks the manic wonder that lots of the older issues had - the good natured humour and oddball enthusiasm isn't there as much, and the magazine reads more like a trade journal than a place where writers and fans come together to gush about their enthusiasms. I'd like to see the guidelines loosened up a bit, and see quality flavor text encouraged a little more. The monster ecologies articles are a perfect example of the leeching out of flavor. The ecology articles used to inspire, they told stories, they were funny or creepy or exciting. The stories that framed the stats brought me into the article, and got my mind to thinking about using the monsters in my own "stories" - on some occasions, the Ecology Of... articles turned a monster I thought was pure garbage into something I actually considered using. Now, to be honest, I've found myself skimming over Ecology articles entirely, because they're leached of flavor for me. This isn't a slam at the writers of those articles - the mechanics are fine, and I see kernels of good ideas in there, but I don't think they're allowed to develop the way they used to be. This applies to most everything in the magazine. The articles are too textbook dry, because I think Paizo has become too concerned with trying to please almost everyone with every article - and that leads to unfortunate blandness. So what would make me happier, and encourage me to buy more? Cutting open the creative veins again. Getting a bit crazier with your articles, and a return of more pure flavor, flavor, flavor. Patrick Younts</blockquote>

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