Am I the only one who thinks dungeon's focus on adventures is too much? I mean, not only can many adventures be found online, but they're not too hard to make. In fact, published adventures are quite difficult to use in a campaign. I liked dungeoncraft in dragon, and now I'm having trouble deciding between losing one of your best articles or subscribing to a whole bunch of adventures. If you're going to switch to a magazine with DM content and advice in addition to adventures, go all the way. Don't squeeze a few advice pages in at the end.
Obviously I can't speak for everyone, but you're the only one of you and me who thinks there are too many adventures. ;-) I love being able to have 3 or more adventures come in my mailbox every month, and even when I can't use them 'as is' they often inspire adventures of my own, or I can take elements from them.
As someone who DMs 3 games a week (4 if you count my pbp), I need all the adventure help I can get!
-Amber
I have to agree with Medesha, I can never get enough adventures. And even though I could make up my own, it would be hard to find time between working 55 - 60 hours a week, spending time with my 4-year old son, and, oh yea, sleeping, too.
Also, I would have to add that while you "can" find adventures online, they are very rarely as good as what Dungeon offers every month and the art & cartography are not even comparable, IMO.
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I have to agree with Medesha as well! Too much adventures? Never had this thought!!!
Since I have to work time is getting real short and there'S no better source for ideas and high quality material to throw at your pcs then Dungeon!
Its so much easier to come up with an adventure of your own if you have so much sources that Dungeon provides!
Raoul_Duke is right as well that most adentures which you can find online a crap... And Dungeons Art&Cartography is still searching for someone who might best them ;)
And even if I don't use an adventure at all, it's almost always a fun read!
I don't mean to say that adventures aren't good, but more focus one DMing advice and resources would be better IMO. Since dragon has turned into players only, it only makes sense for dungeon to be "the" DMs magazine, instead of just adventures with dungeoncraft and critical threats as an afterthought. Articles like Campaign Components, or world-building articles such as were found in dragon #293, would be preferrable to me than three long adventures a month.
Hm, well I'd hardly call them "afterthoughts". There is going to be so much more in Dungeon besides the 3 adventures every month.
-one meaty feature every month, either an environment setting (like the Isle of Dread), a complete city setting, or a creature catalogue.
-A critical threat
-Dungeoncraft
-The Campaign Workbook containing up to 4 campaign elements to inspire/use in your campaigns (one each for NPCs, cities, dungeons and wilderness encounters).
That sure seems like "the DM's magazine" to me. Of course I'm biased; I just loved the latest Dungeon!
Articles like Campaign Components, or world-building articles such as were found in dragon #293, would be preferrable to me than three long adventures a month.
Actually, the adventures in the new format are now shorter than previous ones, so that there can be three of them every month and to fit all the other good stuff Medesha just mentioned.
Definately not too many adventures. I love to DM but I really do not enjoy writing adventures. Having good adventures to pick through and modify for my games was the only reason I subscribed to Dungeon.
Now, the extras in the latest issue were like polishing off a good thing. Loved every bit of the last issue of Dungeon and look forward to many, many more.
no such thing too many adventures. I work full time, run 2 games and have a 5 year old son and a social life. I use Dungeon and printed adventures, just tweak them for my campaign. I would go insane without pre-printed stuff, and I am going back to school soon so they will be even more important. I say keep up the good work
I agree with bg2soatob somewhat. I don't want less adventures but I do want more DM articles. I've been working on an article that is geared toward DM's for a while. I thought I would submit it to Dragon when I was done. Then I got the Dragon Unleashed issue and found out I would now have to submit it to Dungeon. That's ok except I looked at the Dungeon Unleashed issue and the DM stuff looked really minimal. My article's kind of big so I was disappointed, thinking that there really is no place for it now. But it looks like there are new guide lines coming out and more changes on the way for Dungeon so we'll have to wait it out and see what happens.
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Surely everybody buys Dungeon for the adventures? That's what it is for! I have never used a published adventure since I started DMing 3rd edition, but I find other people's adventures to be a great source of ideas, and also to be a very entertaining read.
Where else can you find the stats for a vampire mermaid, or a bugbear pirate, or every conceivable type of half dragon?
I wouldn't mind fewer adventures if they were replaced with more side treks and critical threats, but I don't need "management" style articles on dealing with party conflict, or abstract articles on designing better adventures.
Anyway, there are plenty of other sources of that kind of article. Dungeon is for adventures.
~~I agree with bg2soatob somewhat. I don't want less adventures but I do want more DM articles. I've been working on an article that is geared toward DM's for a while.~~
My point precisely. Strangely, I too am writing a DM advice article. I would prefer more DM articles, and at least in #114 the section was quite small.
Also, what will happen to the woderful Cmapaign Components articles? They are DM focused and long. Despite being the best articles (IMO) in the magazines, they might well disappear in unleashed.
I am all for making the DM magazine and player magazine separate. But only if the DM one goes all the way.
Btw, these messageboards were a great idea, but they really need to be improved. I can't even quote here.
I believe they are going to have one "Campaign Components" article every issue. It is going to be the main feature of the new Dungeon.
(P.S. The boards are pretty barren, but you can quote if you do it the old-fashioned way. {quote="name"}text{/quote}. Just replace the {} with [] ).
My point precisely.
Personally, The Adventures is what I want. I could care less about the Dungeoncraft, and the Wil Save has proven pretty useless, I'd rather have a Map of Mystery, or a pull out tactical map of one of the encounter areas. Sorry Wil, But I don't really care about your personal family/gaming relations. Give me something I can use... Like Adventures!
Also, check out www.theforge.pl for some great illustrations/maps/magic items.
ASEO out