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I just finished reading Into the Wormcrawl Fissure and realized, how bad the stat block of Dragotha is placed. I know, that there are editorial and layout issues which have to be taken care of, but my question here is:
Couldn't you keep an eye on where to place a stat block in the adventure? Dragotha's is on pages 83 and 84. I realize, that it's a huge stat block, but it makes DMing that creature even harder if I have to flip from one page to the other, and Dragotha's one would have fit on one page, I am sure!
I rather have a somewhat smaler font in order to bring it on one page, or at least print it on opposite pages, so that I can put the magazine in front of me, with both pages (and the complete stat block) at my view.
This is a thing I would like to see in Dungeon Magazine.
Complex creatures are tough to DM and it gets even tougher with page-flipping. Is it possible to have an eye on that for further issues?
Creative Director
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It's not that easy, unfortunately, to manipulate a stat block's location in an adventure. Using a smaller font's not an option, since that reduces the stat block's usability even more than the necessary evil of printing them over the course of multiple pages.
That said, we do try to keep an eye on the stat block placement. It's not something that can be easilly moved around without throwing an entire article into chaos though. The best solution is probably to photocopy those pages and cut & paste the stat block onto one page.
Or buy two copies of the issue! Yeah! :-)
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I'm actually kind of in agreement here. Statblocks are not part of the normal text. Can they be put in a sidebar? Even a really big sidebar? It seems that most stat blocks take slightly less than two columns of text. Some (like Kyuss pg 84-86 Dungeon #135) are clearly longer. Still, by giving a double wide "sidebar" for the stat block you'd pull it out of the adventure, allowing the text to wrap freely around it. Most adventures could probably have one stat block every two pages and perhaps even a quick guide at the front for quick reference.
I know page count is always an issue, so adding more usually means pulling something out, but it would be pretty useful - particularly when a particular NPC is expected to make multiple appearances in a single adventure.
I have posted on this issue before, but I'd really love to see all stat blocks for all adventures put into a seperate section of the write-up for the magazine. Pageflipping annoys me to no end and anything that can be done to reduce my pageflipping makes me very happy.
For a while last year I yearned for $1 PDF's of all the stat blocks for one issue of Dungeon, but my request was denied because with the maps already being online, a $1 PDF of just the stat blocks might dissuade people from paying for the magazine. I can understand that point.
I have posted on this issue before, but I'd really love to see all stat blocks for all adventures put into a seperate section of the write-up for the magazine. Pageflipping annoys me to no end and anything that can be done to reduce my pageflipping makes me very happy.
So color me confused. If you put all the statblocks at the end of the adventure, it leads to more page flipping. It got so bad for me when I ran Return to the Temple of Elemental Evil that I put all the NPCs into PC Gen, printed them out, and put them in a binder.
So I really don't see how having them at the end reduces page flipping.
Sorry about the confusion...if they're all in one place you can bookmark the one or two pages they're on easier. Also, since very few creatures in my dungeons just stay in their rooms, but roam around and use coordinated tactics when appropriate, having all the stat blocks in one place makes it easier for when the PCs get hit by multiple creatures being drawn in from multiple rooms to the noise the PCs are making or the alarm that was sounded.
That always seems to happen, so when it happens, my page flipping amount goes up dramatically.
Also, for a purely selfish reason, if they're all in one place, they're easier for me to scan and paste on to the 4x6 cards that I prepare before my gaming sessions :)
If it stays the same, it won't be a big deal...just a little personal preference.
Setting the statblocks all in sidebars would actually really wreak havoc on the layout of an adventure, due to the way sidebars and illustrations and ads and maps and all that interact. So that's a no-go.
After reading Red Hand of Doom, I really must say I like the idea of placing all the stat blocks at the end of the adventure. Handy as all get out, and then you dont' have to worry so much about your article layouts.
i'm going to have to side with JJ here. i have tried designing my own newsletters and magazines and the layout process is rather difficult, even with modern photoshop and corel programs. The best solution i have found is to do a little bit of prep and put the major stats on a piece of paper. things like attack bonuses, ac, hit points, major attacks, saves, and a few relevant skill the NPC or monster will use during an encounter. I have even done what he said, copyt the stat block and put it on one page. Then, you can freely mark up the thing with highlighters, etc. all it takes is a bit of prep time before an adventure, perhaps a half hour at most for experienced DMs. Sure, in an ideal world the stat blocks would be on the smae page, but it's either that or page flipping. most DMs don't have a problem with this. i know i don't.