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Enchanted Trinkets Complete--a hardcover book containing over 500 magic items for your D&D games!

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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Andre" data-source="post: 1888287" data-attributes="member: 25930">Like others, I currently subscribe but I decided a year ago not to renew. Doubt I'll change my mind, but we'll see. Reasons:1. Value. Dragon is expensive. I just don't use much of the material in Dragon. I don't remember the last time I used anything from an issue as a player. In fact, (going off on a tangent here) I think the idea that Dragon should be a "players" magazine is unworkable. First, most gamers are not playing in more than one or two campaigns at a time. Assuming we're not creating new characters every session, there's just no way for even a fraction of the material in Dragon to see use in any particular player's game. Second, it doesn't matter how much a player likes something in the magazine - it has to fit the GM's campaign. That means the GM will have to vette the material. Trying to shoehorn Dragon into the concept of a "players" magazine may blind you to the opportunities to provide material for people who spend the most (time and money) on gaming: GM's.2. Related to 1. above: too many new rules, classes, etc. Instead, as others have suggested, solicit articles that make the most of the existing rules, feats, spells, items, etc. Not every idea needs a prestige class. Not every idea needs new feats. I want the ideas, with only the minimum of crunch needed and no more. I'm overloaded with crunch, but never have enough good ideas.3. It's boring. In a recent issue, the editor responded to reader letters concerning some of the recent changes. One stuck in my head, because it summed up this problem. He said that Bazaar of the Bizarre would be called Magic Shop because Magic Shop "is self explanatory". Excuse me? Give your readers credit for some intelligence. This shows just how much flavor has been (apparently deliberately) taken out of the magazine. Rules are boring - flavor is fun. Too often, Dragon reads like a software manual, not a magazine.In the same issue, we learned that the old "monster hunter" Ecology articles would not be used. Now they would be very crunchy because that would "give more useful information" and "inspire plots and roleplaying". I can't speak for others, but rules make for bland, boring articles that don't inspire a fraction of the plots and roleplaying the old-style articles did. And even the ones I didn't use in a game were enjoyable to read. 4. My understanding is that WOTC owns the magazines, Paizo has a license to publish them, but WOTC has final authority on what goes in them. That being the case, I cut you guys a lot of slack. Even so, there have been too many issues that were a little too obviously designed as advertising for WOTC. As long as most of the material is useful, I can live with it - but see my other points to see why it's not (at least, not enough of it is).Suggestions:1. No fiction. Wasted space. Let's put it this way: if a buyer wants fantasy fiction, they'll welcome it in Dragon, but that's not why they buy the magazine. They can get fantasy fiction in so many other ways. IMO, losing the fiction won't lose you more than half a dozen subscribers, if that many.2. Instead of focusing on rules crunch with Class Acts, try something more imaginative. How about a sample character of each class, complete with background and personality. Use the sample characters to highlight different builds (the charismatic rogue, the swashbuckling fighter, a jungle barbarian). Make them something I can modify slightly and drop into a campaign, or something that will inspire me with a new character concept.3. Take a look at some of the smaller pdf's selling at RPGNow, especially Phil Reed's. I purchased a couple and loved them. Why? Because the ideas were so interesting. Crunch is limited to the minimum necessary, but the articles are steeped in flavor. Rather than give us a list of magic items with mechanical descriptions, try to emulate these.4. You don't have to have an article every single issue for new spells, new prestige classes, new feats, new races, etc. If it's interesting and useful, go right ahead. But, to be honest, too many of the monthly columns read as someone's homework assignment - something that had to be done, not something inspired. Besides, as I've said repeatedly, I don't want you to focus on including crunch for its own sake, but only when it's necessary.Sorry this is a bit stream-of-consciousness, but I hope it helps. Thanks for asking our opinions!</blockquote>

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