I was flipping through an issue of Dungeon, reading the Living Greyhawk article, and I thought that it would be nice if we could see it again.
Then I started to visualize the fan response to "too much Greyhawk," like the "too much Eberron" letters. That led me to this idea:
How about some dedicated space for a monthly artcle that has revolving content for Greyhawk, Forgotten Realms and Eberron?
In effect, you'd have four Greyhawk articles (possibly Living Greyhawk Journal), four Forgotten Realms articles (maybe something like Realmslore on Wizards.com), and four Eberron articles (introduce some class acts for Eberron, like a prestige class for warforged scouts).
It could be great! And if it were standardized (Greyhawk--January, April, July and October; Forgotten Realms--February, May, August and November; Eberron--March, June, September and December), your non-subscribers would know which issues they'd be interested in.
Of course, it could be either in Dragon or Dungeon, but with the new formats, Dragon would be the better choice, since these types of articles are intended for all D&D players, not just the DMs.
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Great idea!
I would really really like to see your proposal being realized. I fear that there will be the usual "rush", though. Foremost priority always seem to have those articles featuring/ extending on new product releases. Lately those were mostly Eberron ones.
Maybe there is at least some space left for a small, but monthly article series, some kind of "campaign news": you could integrate RPGA news and new classes as well as setting information (e.g. Realmslore)...
Looking forward to the staff's opinion on this topic. :-)
Greetings,
Guenther
Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Thanks for the suggestion, guys. We'll be doing something very much like it, yet not quite so formal. I've approved a half-dozen Eberron articles from Keith Baker (and will no doubt print additional articles by others), and am currently reviewing several Forgotten Realms articles by Eric L. Boyd. When I get back from vacation on the 6th, I expect to finalize an arrangement with Ed Greenwood on 4-6 "meaty" Forgotten Realms articles to be published throughout 2005. We're currently looking at city overviews, but we may widen the focus as time goes by.
The Living Greyhawk Journal, as such, has reached an end, but I think it's fair to say we'll be printing plenty of Greyhawk compatible articles that, if all goes according to plan, will be approved for play in the campaign. I'm currently focusing my efforts on planning a series of articles focused on the core pantheon, and may print others, as well.
Ideally, the new Eberron articles will tie into the Mark of Heroes campaign in some way, as well.
And then there are the planes, which are sort of like a campaign setting. Look for a 10,000-word "Far Realm" article from the place's creator, Bruce Cordell, in #330. I've also got a juicy article by James Jacobs on Pazuzu which is shaping up to be the first in a series on cults of D&D demon princes. On deck: Zuggtmoy, Fraz'urb-Luu, and Baphomet, with others like Vukarik in Chains waiting impatiently in the wings (if the features prove popular, of course).
D&D's about more than just rules, and I intend to position Dragon as an inspiration for both the game's mechanics and the players' imagination.
--Erik Mona
Editor-in-Chief
Dragon & Dungeon
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Hello Erik,
these are great news, indeed!
I like this inspirational aspect, you mention. "My favourite Dragon article" would contain both new ideas and the means to include them in my campaign (i.e. rule information). Of course general information (i.e. Greyhawk content) is the easiest way to offer information adaptable to most campaigns. I am also very eagerly looking forward to Ed Greenwood's next appearance in Dragon! :-)
I am looking forward to all these articles ... and those magazines whose delivery I am still waiting for! ;)
Guenther
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Adding to the list of Demon princes, how about sticking Graz'zt on-deck as well in the case the articles are well received?
Addressing the rest of the campaign-specific articles that Erik mentioned: I'm sure that that's good news for the people who rebelled against the at-the-time-of-the-revamp apparently hard line against campaign-specific articles... But getting campaign-specific articles for the Realms and for Eberron while maintaining that the Living Greyhawk Journal will remain in it's shallow grave seems like a slight to the Greyhawk players.
I understand that all the books that come out to support the game in general are supportive of Greyhawk, but I think that argument falls flat when you see Prestige Classes like Stormlord, for which you have FR-specific requirements, in them.
The general support for Gh has never been there with WotC. We don't see books detailing the wasteland of the Duchy of Tehn or the Nyr Dyv... I would doubt that anyone who doesn't play Greyhawk would even know what those things are; while if you mention "Mezzoberranzan" to someone who doesn't play FR, they might have a bit of an idea of what you're talking about.
It's nice to see support coming from Dungeon in the form of Istivin and The Isle of Dread. That's very VERY nice, actually. But having more fluff (with crunch) articles specific to Greyhawk would be even more welcome in the pages of Dragon.
More than just profiles on the gods! Expansion on the different human cultures, profiles of the Circle of Eight and how one might use them in a home-game, and why not city views for GREYHAWK? The City of Greyhawk, Verbobonc, the ruins of Molag...
There are tons of cities that could be detailed.
So I guess I'm saying, don't play favorites! ;)
--Fleetfang
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Chief Creative Officer, Publisher
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Well, anyone who has followed my career will no doubt know that I am a huge Greyhawk fan. I started the Living Greyhawk Journal, and were it up to me, I'd be working on Greyhawk full time.
It is not, however, up to me. We license these magazines from Wizards of the Coast, who have a fairly ambiguous approach to what type of Greyhawk material is acceptable and what kind is "too much."
I do what I can.
--Erik
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...and we appreciate that, man. :)
If I ever did know you were a Greyhawk fan, I'd since forgotten it. But that's great to hear. I can rest assured that you're doing everything within your power to sneak all of the Knights of the Chase and Scarlet monks into the pages of Dragon that you can.
I see now that your hands are tied. I hope that more of us Greyhawk fans can speak up and assist with your Escape Artist check on it.
Who should we be sending letters to in order to get the LGJ back in the pages of Dragon (if even on a irregular basis)? I'll spread the word for a concentrated effort.
With a heartfelt thanks and Sympathy for the Edit-ezu,
The Fangster
(snip) And then there are the planes, which are sort of like a campaign setting. Look for a 10,000-word "Far Realm" article from the place's creator, Bruce Cordell, in #330. I've also got a juicy article by James Jacobs on Pazuzu which is shaping up to be the first in a series on cults of D&D demon princes. On deck: Zuggtmoy, Fraz'urb-Luu, and Baphomet, with others like Vukarik in Chains waiting impatiently in the wings (if the features prove popular, of course).
Popular? Absolutely. This is the sort of stuff Dragon should be publishing.
I don't want or need Sage Advice (if I really want a rules question answered, I prefer the ENWorld boards to the official reply) or fiction or broken "crunch" for uber-PCs but I do want articles that expand the more interesting parts of the D&D backstory.
You're the man, Erik!
PS; I'm one of those who is happy to see articles for FR, GH and Eberron. I like all three worlds and am also looking for more information on them.
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I was flipping through an issue of Dungeon, reading the Living Greyhawk article, and I thought that it would be nice if we could see it again.
Erik, Tim Seech of the Circle of Six said some agreement had been reached on the Journal? Is it going to the Web? I sent you a Fiend Sage article along with paul looby. Any chance it will ever be published as a LGG article?
Mike McKeown
Is the Faiths of Faerun feature totally dead now? Its a shame... there are still quite a few cool aspects/new spells/new PrC's that I'd like to see. In fact (and this should probably be in article requests, but anywho) I'd really love to see something in a "Faiths of Faerun" vein on Maztican priests, or even something about Kara-Turan religion in the Realms. In fact, if Faiths of Faerun is still around, I wouldn't mind trying to pump out some stuff to see if I could get it published.
The only problem there, is that Faerun, Kara-Tur, Maztica, and Zakhara are all diferent continents.
If anyone from Hasbro/WotC/TSR is reading this, please eventually release books for those other continents. There is a "Races of Faerun", and a "Players Guide to Faerun". Why not have a "Races of Kara-Tur", or a "Players Guide to Maztica" even if they are only region books, instead of rushing into 4e.
Oh and please Erik Mona, do another double mag cross-over (a la DarkSun, Incursion) for SpellJammer. Please...!!! ::)