Gamers, rally to Kobold Quarterly!
When I first heard about KQ, I was deep in my cups lamenting the death of Dragon. I presumed KQ would be nothing but a pale shadow of the great dragon, a faltering, lackluster fanzine without spirit or intelligence. When I heard Wolfgang Baur was behind it, however, I got myself a copy. And rarely have I been so delighted to be so utterly wrong!
Kobold Quarterly has spirit. KQ has spunk. KQ has verve. KQ has top-flight authors and wonderful articles. The Erik Mona interview in Issue 1 asks all the questions I could wish for and secures fascinating answers. The interview of Wayne Reynolds in Issue 2 hits one of the few luminaries I’d rather hear from than Mr. Mona! Skip Williams’s “Ask the Kobold: Q&A” continues Dragon’s great Sage tradition; reading it felt like coming home. Nicolas Logue’s Barghest Ecology nails one of my favorite monsters. John Ling’s “A Kingdom for My Horse” enriched my favorite character class. But foremost among all the articles is Tim & Eileen Connors’s “Belphegor, Prince of Laziness,” which presents perhaps the most intelligent, though-provoking take on a devil I’ve read in any article or sourcebook. And the Aaron Acevedo’s art for “Belphegor” is luscious. (But why is Belphegor French??)
Now let's hope for more original art, some short fiction, and (holding my breath) one or two short, top-flight adventures!
In the aftermath of the death of Dragon and Dungeon as print magazines, it’s an enormous relief to see bright, imaginative works like Kobold Quarterly picking up the tradition. Go Wolfgang! Go KQ! Gamers, rally to the Kobold! Twenty years from now, I want to look back across my great (and colorful!) collection of (monthly!) KQ issues with quiet assurance that KQ has been the best gaming magazine ever published. It’s small, but it’s fierce. And it’s on its way!
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