Wil Wheaton Drops Dungeon Column

[mac1504]

Hi Erik,

I want to personally apologize for my last comment. I was talkinga bout editors (my editors) in general, not at you I think you do a fine job crafting both the magazines and I thank you for giving a great series of articles like that a chance. As a writer, I'm quick to point the finger at editors. The adventures in the magazine are good but a magazine with just adventures is bland too me which is why the first thing's I always read was Wills and then Monte's article (his second becuse I always have to take notes with Monte's stuff). I hope that the next column is equally as good.

I was just really disheartened at the Paizo board. I went over there expecting Enworld 2 and the harsh comments reak of something that is rarely regulated.

Why would you point fingers at editors?

 

[The Shaman]

Erik confirmed that Dungeon and Dragon's readership care about the current version of D&D. Even Star Wars D20 is unacceptable to them. The numbers went down - the complaints went up - way up - and there was no misinterpreting that data according to Erik.

I can understand that the sales figures were painting a picture - but were they interpreting the picture correctly? Yes, fans are vocal in their dislike of anything not D&D (curse their unimaginative hides!), but was the quality of the Dungeon product responsible for the downturn? It's a question that market research would've been able to answer, but not one that would necessarily come from looking at sales figures...

And no - he did not give hard numbers - neither WotC nor Paizo ever do.

Annoying, but not surprising.

Okay, that's my last swipe at the dead horse this trip.

 

[Lassiviren]

I personally am pretty neutral about the whole thing, I won't miss it, but I certainly thought Wil was a more than adequate writer but was really reaching for material at times.

I certainly don't know Wil but I have the feeling he is a very sensitive person and probably took the negative feedback very personally. Kinda goes along with the whole Wesley thing I guess.

I will say one thing about Wil Save, before I read the column I wouldn't have thought twice about one of Wil's books now I would definitely give it a glance. And as far as games go you can do a lot worse than Texas Hold-em people!

 

[Vocenoctum]

When I said hack of an editor I was talking about in my own instance, no dissing of Mona. Sorr y if ti was interpreted like that way. I still think that an editor should always stand behind his writers and I felt that, from Wills blog, he had probably been hamming on him about it fora couple of months.

Righteo, I hope you can see where I'd read into it. I don't think an editor should stand behind a writer forever, but in general they should.

Again difference of opinion. Alot of the stuff in those articles you can get free online.

True enough, but... I mean, you can get ALL of Wil's columns online, nay?

 

[LeapingShark]

I am surprised by the number of people who say Wil Save is usually the only thing they read in Dungeon. I've decided that I am going to email a new column to you each month, taken from Wil's blog, for the low low price of $2 a month. You're getting a much better deal now! And I'll be rich!

The argument that you could get more adventures into Dungeon without that columns is absolutely laughable as if one more page of 70+ pages would make an adventure x times cooler and better

Just ask some of the adventure authors, I'm sure they can fill you in on many cool aspects of their work that was left to die on the editing room floor. E.g. More room details for Vhalantru's Shackled City mansion. I think for most readers they never see what they could have had, so they don't realize the quality of material that gets cut from everything. A few words can go a long way towards enhancing the flavor of an adventure, or an entire campaign, for example Gary's intro to T1 Village of Hommlet.

 

[Odhanan]

I'm sorry to hear Wil won't write anymore for Dungeon. I loved every single of his columns. They had style and were presenting a real approach to what gaming his (particularly when he was talking of bonding with his step son).

The hate mail sucks. People really should know better. *sigh*

 

[Ketjak]

Wil Wheaton's column, a well written and often sensative approach to the feelings and thoughts of older gamers, was about the only redeemable feature of Dungeon magazine. I was looking for one more reason to stop wasting that extra 7-8 bucks a month and now I have it.

Now if I could only stop buying Dragon...

NewLifeForm

Why a person who buys every month doesn't subscribe for half-price or less issues still completely baffles me. For the price of five issues at the newsstand you can purchase an entire year's subscription. Your characters buy CLW potions instead of wands, don't they?

And Dragon's easy to stop buying. I picked up two recently (FLGS having a sale) and am enjoying the Eberron content, but sheesh, the rest of it reads like a ultra-geeky version of a cheesy tech mag. If that's what sells, then good for Paizo... but I can't stomach it.

edit: I loved Wil Save, read it first, thought the game-related reality blast was refreshing. Perhaps once diaglo and a few others breed (stifles shudder <grin>), they'll appreciate the column more. His column actually got me to finally make time to play with my step-spawn. My direct spawn will, too - in about 6 years.

- Ket

 

[ColonelHardisson]

Why a person who buys every month doesn't subscribe for half-price or less issues still completely baffles me. For the price of five issues at the newsstand you can purchase an entire year's subscription. Your characters buy CLW potions instead of wands, don't they?

Because it's often easier to scrape up the money for a single issue than it is to have enough ready cash to send in for a subscription.

 

[DonTadow]

Why would you point fingers at editors?

Hehehe I've had some bad editors who have hacked my stuff up, misquoted my sources, burned my leads and destroyed my copy, so my first instance is to defend the writer and blame the editor. IN this choice i see it was neither's fault. Mona pretty much defended Will to the end but I think the idiotic guys on the Paizo board just was too much. I commented on there and someone tried ot defend the lude comments against will.. sickening. There are certain of us gamers that I hate, the ones i dont play with nor invite to my games. Those gamers that could be the downfall of the game.

 

[Erik Mona]

Those gamers that could be the downfall of the game.

In fact, I suspect those gamers are the backbone of the hobby.

--Erik Mona