Hellllooooo KQ#13-- let me say, you're all grown up sexy. This starts year four for Kobold Quarterly, and the cover is something gorgeous-- a pair of tastefully shaded dryads in a jade tone, surrounded by usual set of forest suspects. I found the phrase, "the Switzerland of the Edition Wars" especially apt, but I digress. For this review, I'm looking at the PDF issue, not the print.

After a trio of full page ads (which I liked, honestly. It gives the magazine more of an old Dragon feel), we get the Table of Contents. The article selection only gives a hint as to the editions of the material, so folks looking for those easy to identify icons with the titles are going to have to dig deeper into the magazine, because while they are handily at the upper left corner of each piece. Let me save you the math, though:

6 for Pathfinder
5 for 4E
1 for Dragon Age
1 system neutral article on the Zobeck Campaign setting of Open Design
2 Game Design
1 Editorial
1 Interview with Chris Pramas
1 Set of Fiction Book Reviews
A pair of new comics from Stan!

Which gives a fairly equal distribution of material-- though, to be fair, the KQ staff has always said they publish what they're provided. I'm holding out hope for an Ars Magica article.

Regardless of your side on the current detente, there is a truckload of good stuff in here. Two nice maps, a wad of items for 4E or Pathfinder and good advice on romance stories make for some very interesting material.

Although, it's fair to say that this helping might not be for everyone. Those who don't like guns in their sword and sorcery will find the arquebusier article a misfire. Those not looking for a horror tinge to their 4E high fantasy won't need a sanity check for Aeryn Rudel's Lovecraftian Gods. I found the shoggoth ecology great and full of options for foiling the player at your table who memorized everything down to table 14-3, wagon wheel options. In my opinion, though, the gem of the issue is the "Guide to Sex and Romantic Subplots in Fantasy Adventure Gaming." Mario Podeschi is no stranger to KQ, and if this article is any indication, we'll be seeing a lot more. He talks about hooks, shallow PCs and NPCs, episodic appearances, the sticky subject of intercourse even a primer on what to do when the table is divided on the matter of romance and PCs-- everything a GM could ask for when incorporating this aspect into a game.

Overall, I have to say that Kobold Quarterly continues to fulfill its destiny as the spiritual successor of Dragon. The art is great, the production is very professional and the editing is solid. They're also listening to feedback and incorporating what they can-- as evidenced by the article-edition icons. They even allow you to download your PDFs straight from the site if you've somehow misplaced your copy. If you haven't picked up an issue, this is a fantastic place to start.

Disclaimer: This PDF issue was provided for review purposes, though I am a subscriber and occasional contributer to KQ/Open Design.