Wil Wheaton Drops Dungeon Column

[Ratenef]

I am as disappointed to see Wil's article end as I was when Gary's vanished.

I've yet to meet a gamer who didn't want to share/listen to an RPG 'war story'. Essentially Wil (and Gary) provided these kind of stories from the lives of 'famous' people.

If PEOPLE magazine can sell a lot of issues talking about what Brad Pitt eats on Tuesdays, then Dungeon can spare a page for an EXCELLENT article that humanizes the game.

We often argue that there is too much roll playing and not enough role playing, yet here are examples of providing the humanistic aspects of the game that are being 'tossed'.

What made Wil's article that much sweeter was the fact that he was talking about his successes/failures with regards to getting his 'children' to play the game. As a parent of a child who is approaching a gaming age (8) I would eagerly turn to the end of the book each month to see what 'shared joy' would come from the newest Wil Save.

The funny thing is that when it was first announced that he would be writing an article, I was sorely tempted to send a letter to Dungeon advising them that I was the guy who only rented the movie Toy Soldiers to see Wil Wheaton be filled full of lead, and that as such I wasn't impressed with this idea. But only after his first article, I changed my mind and started looking forward to his monthly 'war stories'.

 

[LeapingShark]

When we do headlines in the paper, we are not catering to the die hard newspaper reader. Those guys will pick up the paper every morning regarduless. They'll launch complaints about content and presentation, but in the end they will buy it. We want to attract the people whom don't pick it up everyday. The minority diehardest will always buy the product, but the product will not strive unless the material can appeal on a broader appeal.

I agree that switching to broader "mass appeal" content is always better for business. I understand why we have feat/PrC crunch largely displacing descriptive background text in WOTC class/race supplements, why we have obligatory nudie scenes in movies; why we have TV cluttered with cookie-cutter sitcoms, talk shows, reality shows, and soap operas; why we have shortages of minority figures starring in lead drama roles, etc. Going with a broad appeal format is more popular and more profitable. I'm sure others can think of better examples of how monotonous mass appeal formats have displaced niche-programming (Firefly TV series?). Risky ventures like Dungeon Adventures of the past are creeping towards expanded content, and may someday resemble a wide-open format like Dragon (or heck, even become another Cosmo!). It will definately be more popular and more successful that way too. It just think it's an unfortunate aspect of reality, because there is no replacement option available anywhere, even on the Internet, for the narrow band of interest ("full adventures monthly") that may very well be displaced in tiny, mostly unnoticeable, increments.

 

[Greylock]

I buy Dungeon mainly for the articles at the back. 75% of the magazine isn't useful to me (yet). Losing Wil's column shrink's that back end, which is a loss to me. That said, I always have wondered why his column was in Dungeon and not Dragon, where it'd be a better fit.

Has anyone pointed the fellow here yet? Plenty of positive stuff to cheer him...

 

[Greylock]

Yeah, another double post in one day...

I just got back from my first evah visit to the Paizo boards. Erik Mona! Slap that Trek boy around and get him writing again. I refuse to believe that the same four or five yutz's on a mission could derail Wil's column. There is a lot of vitriol there, yes, but it comes from the same little pathetic squad that kept ressurecting the danged thread i the first place.

 

[Jdvn1]

Yeah, another double post in one day...

I just got back from my first evah visit to the Paizo boards. Erik Mona! Slap that Trek boy around and get him writing again. I refuse to believe that the same four or five yutz's on a mission could derail Wil's column. There is a lot of vitriol there, yes, but it comes from the same little pathetic squad that kept ressurecting the danged thread i the first place.

Well, it wasn't the same four or five yutz's on a mission that derailed Wil's column.

Post #112 of this thread.
http://www.enworld.org/showpost.php?p=2313876&postcount=112

 

[Greylock]

I saw that. Very particular wording. Did you see the part where Erik said the Paizo thread was part of Wil's decision?

 

[Jdvn1]

I saw that. Very particular wording. Did you see the part where Erik said the Paizo thread was part of Wil's decision?

I get the impression that Erik was already bogged down with life (Erik mentions multiple times that Wil was 'overcommited'). The Paizo thread was a factor, but by no means the main reason Wil had to go. Your phrase, "the same four or five yutz's on a mission could derail Wil's column" seems to imply you think those yutz's are the reason Wil left. Well, the Mono didn't help either, and I definitely wouldn't put that as a lesser reason.

 

[Erik Mona]

That said, I always have wondered why his column was in Dungeon and not Dragon, where it'd be a better fit.

When Sean Glenn and I came up with the idea, we weren't working on Dragon. If I'd been editing Dragon at the time, it probably would have ended up there.

--Erik Mona
Editor-in-Chief
Dragon & Dungeon
Up Late Entering Changes for the Shackled City Hardcover

 

[atom crash]

--Erik Mona
Editor-in-Chief
Dragon & Dungeon
Up Late Entering Changes for the Shackled City Hardcover

Back to work, you! I want that book.

 

[Ranger REG]

i gets what i pay for.

And I don't. Hence the drop.