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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="DM_Jeff" data-source="post: 1887920" data-attributes="member: 3687">Dragon>>1. Why don't you buy the magazine?First, thanks for even asking, Erik!I currently subscribe. It's important to point out why, however. * Collecting. I started subscribing with issue #78. I collected back issues into the teens. I never let my subscription run out because I always found it just useful enough. Wow, I guess I'm your favorite type of customer.* For the past 7 years my wife has been an avid contributor to Dragon. Apart from that we've heavily questioned renewing our subscription each year because our eyes pass over stuff too typical, dull, or not of interest to our game right now. And now, her recent articles (for DM's) have moved to Dungeon, which we love to no end and have no beef with whatsoever! We've ID'd why we don't read it or use it as much anymore:>>2. What sort of changes would make you more likely to give it another look?We never read the fiction. Fiction schmiction, gotta go.Nodwick is a good comic, and the only one that we really enjoy.Dragon needs to be more modular, or it needs a comphrehensive, constantly updated index of stuff. Modular in that I skim Dragon every month. I need stuff for use in my game right now. By the end of the week, not to mention the end of the month, that issue is out of my head and on the shelf. It would stay at my table for the month and see much more use if there were:1) Monster article every issue with three beasties. One with stats, fluff, and ecology all rolled into one. And of three different CR's, low, medium and high. How useful would it be to read a cool, short description of an adventuring party with the creature, the creature's stats for the DM, and then a short treatment of the ecology of the creature. I'm sure to use at least ONE of the monsters at CR 3, 9 or 16 (for example) in my campaign that very month. Even if just as a random encounter. How is this useful to players too? Make notes on how they can be replaced in a summon monster spell or used as an ally.2) Magic items. Not 50, about 5 or 6. With a price guide to quickly tell which one I can use in my campaign right now. 1 or 2 worth less than 2,000 gp, 1 or 2 worth 3-5,000 and a couple worth 10,000 or more. With good histories/stories behind them to make them interesting to read or inspire adventure hooks. I can then immediately realise what level of item I can use at my table that very month and make use of the article. They're not just for the DM. If a player wants his PC to create one, there's the idea and numbers to use.3) NPC's. Just like monsters. Three, at low, medium and high level. Friends and villains alike. With a little intro story, crunch stats, then fluff on its purpose, profession, role, whatever, in a game.In each of the cases above, note hardly any space would be wasted giving a little sentence such as "In Greyhawk..." "In the Realms..." "In Eberron..." to satisfy all fans or ignore as they please. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f642.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=":-)" title="Smile    :-)"  data-smilie="1"data-shortname=":-)" />4) "PC Projects". Like "How can I start a guild in the game." "How can I start a mercenary company." "How can I start and run a tavern." "How can my PC rebuild a damaged reputation." If the magazine is really supposedly aimed at players give them something to read based on stuff many of them want to do in a game but don't know how to approach. A complete article, not a bunch of half-baked ideas, but a beginning to end piece.5) Fun stuff. Not fun-ny, just fun. Articles by known names on topics typical to D&D players. Opinion-based articles with fun and lively discussion ideas. That infamous whacky article by Sean K. Reynolds on his site lambasting everyone for saying "enchant a magic item" is incorrect in 3.0 terms was hilarious and just what I'm talking about. Over-the-top, opinionated, get-your blood flowing topics covered with wit, humor and purpose.6) Toys. A while back either Dungeon or Dragon would each have poster-sized maps with grids for miniatures use. The one for town streets STILL see use at my table to this day, more locations as such would be excellent.Speaking of minitaures, we use them constantly. My wife paints and collects lead and I collect and adore the WotC plastic minis. But we use them in our RPG only, never the skirmish game. So while I would enjoy articles on their use, I would for the RPG only.In general, I like the magazing, but can't use much of it at any given time. And by the time I think I can use an article in question it is lost among hundreds backlogged on my shelf with no easy way to find them. Feats, Classes, Prestige Classes, these hardly come up needing each week, they go in and out of my head just as quickly. Monsters, magic items, equipment, NPC's: these are useful to players and DMs right away. And that's what I need out of my Dragon, stuff I can read which is fun and entertaining and applicable to my game right now, not in a month or a year.Last but not least, folks have been saying the biggest competitor for Dragon's space is the internet nowadays, and while I somewhat agree, I must point out that many good immediate-use articles show up in one form or another on the WotC website, of all places.But, for the record, the recent changes have been for the better and have shown good work.-DM Jeff</blockquote>

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