This is Dragon Plus.

[HenshinFanatic]

I concur with Enevhar Aldarion. Just wish there was more meat to the issue but I'm not holding out hope what with Unearthed Arcana taking all the juicy bits each month.

[Lorathorn]

I'd be upset if they folded Unearthed Arcana into the magazine, so this is to my liking. I want more meat for sure, but I think that Dragon ought to be the place for more esoteric material, whereas a possible Dungeon+ may be for statistical (read: crunchy) instead, and lean more towards categories such as monsters, magic items and other DM related material than the more player-centric UA articles. I am highly curious as to their plans from hereon.

[Drejk]

Downloaded the android version. Found 0 advantage to me for it being an app instead just of well optimized pdf. Disadvantages? When holding it vertically advertisement pages spread to whole screen preventing clicking on the empty part of the screen to open the page slider, trying to open page slider on advertisement page tries to open browser instead while sliding the page without opening page slider to move from advertisement prevents up and down scrolling of the next page. After third or fourth time it happened I just shut it down.

[Lorathorn]

I had that experience too. I got stuck on some full page ad, and had a heck of a time not opening some in-app browser a few times. I don't care for that.

[Terquem]

Now we get stuck with adds when all we want to do is read a decent on line magazine

Thanks, Drizzt!

[Drejk]

Terquem wrote:

Now we get stuck with adds when all we want to do is read a decent on line magazine

Thanks, Drizzt!

I don't want to read online magazine.

[R_Chance]

Drejk wrote:

Terquem wrote:

Now we get stuck with adds when all we want to do is read a decent on line magazine

Thanks, Drizzt!

I don't want to read online magazine.

Once you download it, it's not online. It's just not paper. I miss the old days too. I have every issue of The Dragon / Dragon from #3 on (before it went out of print and turned 4E) and most of it's predecessor the Strategic Review. I wasn't all that impressed with the first couple of TD issues although the last Strategic Review was great. I've seen a half dozen other masgazines come and go as well. And I currently collect dead tree and pdf versions of Gygax magazine. Print magazines with an audience as niche as RPGs are not really profitable. Dragon+ (may) work because once it's done the only cost is bandwidth and it's an advertising tool. Some content swapped for you being targeted by ads which, after all, are for a product you are interested in and may very well spend money on. It's a pretty good strategy.

[Sissyl]

Sounds more like Dragon- to me.

[Lorathorn]

R_Chance wrote:

Once you download it, it's not online. It's just not paper. I miss the old days too. I have every issue of The Dragon / Dragon from #3 on (before it went out of print and turned 4E) and most of it's predecessor the Strategic Review. I wasn't all that impressed with the first couple of TD issues although the last Strategic Review was great. I've seen a half dozen other masgazines come and go as well. And I currently collect dead tree and pdf versions of Gygax magazine. Print magazines with an audience as niche as RPGs are not really profitable. Dragon+ (may) work because once it's done the only cost is bandwidth and it's an advertising tool. Some content swapped for you being targeted by ads which, after all, are for a product you are interested in and may very well spend money on. It's a pretty good strategy.

How do you like Gygax magazine? I've been curious about it.

[Kthulhu]

I love how people are pretending that a magazine having ads is some new evil concept that WOTC has pioneered with Dragon+.

[Drejk]

Kthulhu wrote:

I love how people are pretending that a magazine having ads is some new evil concept that WOTC has pioneered with Dragon+.

Have you even bothered to read what was actually written before you decided to issue that opinion? Or have you just noticed the word ad in the text and followed with your inner narrative of people hating on WOTC?

It isn't complaint on the fact that WOTC decided to put an add in the magazine - it is complaint that the ads screw up the application and prevent comfortable reading of the magazine.

[Lorathorn]

Also, look at the so-called "Magic Emporium" article. I was very excited to even see some kind of random decoration chart or even straight talk about magic shops, but instead the readership got treated to links to all of the products. That was... most annoying.

[Terquem]

I have a sweet little HP touchpad that was modded to run Android apps, and I just downloaded the this app. So far it is a little clunky, but the ads aren't giving me any trouble yet.

I'll be back later to tell you more about what I think of this magazine.

[Terquem]

First thing I noticed, links to Facebook posts are quick, but Facebook posts, of which I am already annoyed by on my Facebook page, do not a magazine make

Tumblr link is the worst, goes nowhere, but in circles around adds

[Terquem]

Finally figured out how to navigate the tumbler screen, but the App is still clunky.

Overall it's not terrible, but with Hasbro behind it, you would think it would be better.

[Lorathorn]

I am thinking that it needs improvement overall, but I hope that they recognize that.

[LazarX]

I was all set to get this downloaded on my Kindle. Then my nicely tuned Google hacked system went all to heck when Play Services topped working.

[Oceanshieldwolf]

Steve Geddes wrote:

Drejk wrote:

Application instead of proper pdf/e-reader file to read? Meh. What the hell is with that obsession with turning to apps for things to read instead of just reading them? Not everyone want to crap his computer with tons of unwanted programs.

I don't really understand this stuff, but it shows up in an app called "newsstand" which I'm pretty sure was always there. As far as I know, I didn't have to add a program or anything (and now I'm subscribed, I presume a new issue will just download for me every couple of months).

I said something similar in another thread. It said it was an app, but it isn't. It's in my Newsstand.

And I had to give them marketing details to get it. Wish I hadn't now, because the magazine is utter sh1te. Boring, inane and incredibly short "articles" and more links to previews of ads for products. I just dislike current WOTC culture - their take on gaming, reliance on my least favorite game setting of all multiverses Forgotten Plotz and slick marketing everywhere.

Note that this isn't me hating 5th edition, or WOTC. Just hate that hyperbole has replaced plain speaking and marketing is the new content.

[Lorathorn]

I have gone on to rescind my earlier and more favorable review of the magazine after going through the articles. I am not pleased, but I remain weary and hopeful that things will improve. This is the magazine and format that Dragon needs right now, but the implementation is clearly lacking. That is disappointing, but the framework is there. I merely hope that there is recognition. Absent such recognition, we should at least understand the nature of the problem; that D&D development is on cruise control.

[Drejk]

A new issue of the Dragon Plus is available... Again failing to convince me to app format instead of simple pdf/some sort of e-book. I downloaded the second issue, opened it... And the app froze forcing me to turn it off manually. When I turned it on I discoved that not only the new issue was missing... but the first got deleted somehow as well.

I downloaded 2nd issue again and started browsing. Swiping pages felt smoother than in the first issue, but I made sure not to use that bar that was causing problems in the past. For some reasons I could not scroll some of articles to rad them... Interview with Ed Greenwood and comic strip (the two pieces that I was interested in). After multiple attempts to scroll the comic down the app crashed. Article about D&D computer games was disappointment - reading wikipedia list of D&D games gives more interesting info.

[Steve Geddes]

I didn't have any technical issues. I'm quite enjoying them so far (except for the fact they're digital only). I think Dragon was a bad name though - they don't seem to have much interest in providing game mechanical stuff, which is no doubt what many would expect from the name.

[Bob_Loblaw]

I've found that I can share the articles with myself by emailing them and just viewing them on my PC. Takes virtually no effort at all.

[Drejk]

A new issue is here, promoting Rage Of Demons.

I have to say there is a noticeable improvement in quality of reading. Seems that scrolling problems I had with two previous issues were solved.

I hope that the fact that first and second issues vanished and show the download button again instead means that their problem were solved too. Or maybe the whole app was fixed? We'll see.