Normally I don't pay much attention to the fiction in Dragon. I perhaps read 1 in 4 fiction articles presented. So I wasn't all that happy to see 3 short stories in issue 344. Having said that I am very happy to have read the stories.
Who is Gord? He's cool. I didn't know Gygax could write like that. That was so cool. I want more.
And the Princess Arc. What imagery. I want more of this as well. What world is this? A floating city! Wand wielding palace guards! Now I like the Lupin!
The wizards three story was alright. I could do with out it(but please include another City's article by Ed).
The Paizo staff has done such a wonderful job of listening to their audience. I can only hope there is enough love for the Gord and the Princess Arc articles to continue their presence in Dragon.
Voyage of the Princes Arc was actually a series of articles that ran in Dragon Magazine, rough guess, about 8-10 years ago.
Gord the Rogue was actually the main character in several Gygax novels: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gord_the_Rogue
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Who is Gord? He's cool. I didn't know Gygax could write like that. That was so cool. I want more.
Remember though, it was co-authored by another person named Burgoine(sp). It's my belief he did the action/dialogue and Gygax supplied the Greyhawk continuity because it was -too- well written for Gygax alone.
I was unimpressed by all the fiction. I found Gygax's story boring, and I fail to see why so many people rave about it. This is my first introduction to Gord, and I'm glad I've never seen it before.
At least the "Wizards Three" had new game content attached to it...
Sadly, I too was unimpressed with the fiction. I understand why it was there, and why those particular pieces were there, but still...
The Gord story struck me as very weak. The plot was hardly inspired: thief robs noble, things go wrong. Didn't that happen to Conan a few dozen times?
The Princess Ark article was odd. I vaguely remember the series from way back. I didn't read it, but understand why others would. But it didn't add anything to the world, didn't really do anything for the ongoing story, and read more like a set-up for a new series of articles in the series, which is something I really hope we don't see.
The Wizards Three suffers a great deal from the loss of Dalamar. But this installment felt especially weak: earlier articles in the series had the mages actually discussing the spells they were sharing, how they came about, how they were used, and such like. This installment dealt with them... eating. Please, sir, can we have no more?
The Eberron backdrop and the Ecology was excellent (as always). But it's a worrying sign when I find the buyer's guide more interesting than the majority of the feature articles in the issue.
Sorry, guys. I'm usually a big fan of your work, and I know you worked really hard on this one, but I'm afraid it just didn't do it for me.
I'm a big fan of Ed's as well, but I have to agree, the Wizard's Three article was weak and short. Perhaps it was designed to just be a "hey look, its another Wizard's Three" article, but it didn't live up to the others in the series.
Yes, without Dalamar, the meeting isn't quite as tense as it once was. Also, beyond discussing the spells and circumstances around their use, occaisionally you might get some comments on current events in the given campaign setting. I was at least waiting for El to say something about Mordenkainen's lack of hair, or for Mordenkainen to mention that El was dressing better these days . . .
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I've never been a fan of fiction in Dragon. While there have been some pieces I've enjoyed, most of them have fallen flat for me. Even when I enjoy the fiction, I usually think that space could be better served with game content.
Issue 344 was a huge disappointment for me. It was a "super-sized" issue, but it didn't feel like it. I read all three fiction articles, and I was left with a "okay..." kind of feeling.
In some sense, three articles of fiction put this over the line. Sorry, but I'm going to vent a little.
First watch is 10 pages not counting advertisements! That is a ton of space. In all honesty, I think 3 is too many. I don't care about the Top 10 D&D Mini Dragons, particularly when some of them are sold in randomized packs. Even if they weren't, I like metal minis - the quality is much higher. I also like the size of my reapers - the D&D minis are too small. They look hokey. I'm never going to play Neverwinter Nights 2 (at least I'm not planning on it). I own but haven't started playing Neverwinter Nights yet. While I understand the magazine is trying to point out things that "gamers" might like, I buy the magazine for D&D content. Anything else should be extremely limited.
Six more pages of Gen Con Indy previews, and that is again, less content. I'm not going to Gen Con Indy. If they're trying to build a feeling of "shared experience" it would be better to do a 1 or 2 page recap of the con. This felt like a big ad for Gen Con, which isn't surprising, because it says "Special Advertising Section" on the bottom. But, it has page numbers so it is content...
I've already complained about the fiction. That leaves three feature articles.
Planar Dragons (which won't see play in my games, but was otherwise okay).
Dreadhold (which may be the best article. Even though I don't use Eberron, this can be adapted without too much trouble).
Ecology of the Dracolich - I like ecology articles, but this one didn't do it for me. Dracoliches are pretty singular creatures, so the ecology article didn't add much. I don't need example dracoliches. Two of the described liches can't be translated into my game for lack of a stat block. I don't have the Draconomicon or Libris Mortis. I found that a little disappointing.
I'm glad Wormfood is done, because I found fewer than half those useful. I'm not using Age of Worms now, but even if I was, it wouldn't be likely. And I despise epic play. The system is the buggiest rules set I've ever seen. So, the article is a waste for me.
Class acts was okay. I liked the ambush feats very much.
Issue #343 (a regular size issue) had more features. That's why I'm sad and dissappointed. 344 is okay, but for being a bigger than usual issue, it doesn't live up to the promise.
And I'm not saying that I expect the magazine to cater to me exclusively. I'm sure there are other readers who like the fact that it covers Neverwinter Nights 2 (though I bet most of them would buy it regardless of what the magazine says after hearing hype from other sources)or epic play. I'm just stating my opinions as what I believe is a fairly typical reader of the magazine.
I'll probably continue my subscription when it runs out, but I won't be thinking of this issue when I do it. It will be the other gems that I've come across (like Oct 2005).
Edit - Erik has said he won't be the editor to remove fiction from Dragon, but he isn't usually a big fan either. My vote is for a general rule of "no fiction" but making exceptions some of the time. Rarely.
And the Princess Arc. What imagery. I want more of this as well. What world is this? A floating city! Wand wielding palace guards! Now I like the Lupin!
Yess! Some of us have been eagerly awaiting the return of the Princess Ark for months! It was great seeing more Mystara material in Dragon once again, and this time something completely new rather than the conversion type articles that have appeared in Campaign Classics issues.
I agree that the Lupins really stood out in this installment, and it really made me want to give them a bigger role IMC. Time to dig out Dragon #179, #237, and #325!
I would love to see more of the Voyage of the Princess Ark in Dragon, and as I have been saying for a while now; it would be so cool to see a collection of the classic VotPA series from paizo :)
BTW: I have written a more in-depth commentary to the VoTPA installment here:
http://boards1.wizards.com/showthread.php?p=9269615#post9269615
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Normally, I don't care much for the fiction in Dragon, but I didn't mind it this time.
I had never read any Gord stories before (although I had heard of him) so I didn't know what to expect. I thought it was OK.
I have an old issue of Dragon with part of the Princess Ark story, and I like the way they set it up in journal format. Of course, not having read the original story, I felt left out.
As far as the Wizards Three article, like many others, I miss Dalamar. The stories just aren't the same without him.
Maybe in a the future, Dragon could find a way to re-publish all the old Gord, Princess Ark, and Wizards Three articles in one big collection (HINT, HINT).
I have an old issue of Dragon with part of the Princess Ark story, and I like the way they set it up in journal format. Of course, not having read the original story, I felt left out.
Understandable, though I would have thought the crewmember sidebar helped a little at least. Fortunately, I have another remedy for you: Go buy the Champions of Mystara boxed set, available as a downloadable pdf from www.paizo.com . It collects most of the series, plus has more in depth info about the ship (including floorboards) and crew as well as two other booklets.
Seeing the Princess Ark back in Dragon made me want to go back to that box and having a read through the entire series once again!
As far as the Wizards Three article, like many others, I miss Dalamar. The stories just aren't the same without him.
Agreed.
Maybe in a the future, Dragon could find a way to re-publish all the old Gord, Princess Ark, and Wizards Three articles in one big collection (HINT, HINT).
The sheer amount of VotPA material in Dragon would be enough for a book on its own, though if including the other article series and splitting it into two books would increase the chances of it becoming a reality, I'm all for it! :)
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I just hope that this amazing Voyage of the Princess Ark article receives several sequels...
As any Mystara related material.
Yeah I know. I can't wait to see what happens to Haldemar and Empress Eriadna...
Damn you Bruce Heard! ;)
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I think it helps if you were a fan of the Princess Arc series to enjoy the story in Dragon 344 fully.
I used to read it monthly; sometimes it was the first thing I read in an issue.
That said, the shine is off for me. Too much time has passed and I think I forgot more than I remembered about the series.
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The Wizards Three was not as meaty as the older istallments of that series, but the crunchy bits are always a plus.
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I'm a big fan of Gord, but this latest story was the weakest of the Gord stories I've read. Yes, Gord was Gord in character. But the plot was weak and too familiar (as another poster said) and I never got the sense that Gord was ever in any real danger. He is just too unbeatable, sort of like a drow ranger we all know.
I'd hope to see two to three stories in Dragon a year. Less would be my vote, but Erik vows to keep the fiction in the magazine, so...
I think it helps if you were a fan of the Princess Arc series to enjoy the story in Dragon 344 fully.
I used to read it monthly; sometimes it was the first thing I read in an issue.
That said, the shine is off for me. Too much time has passed and I think I forgot more than I remembered about the series.
Yeah, its way too long since the last Princess Ark story. I think the sidebars helped alot in reminding people who these people were though. Ofcourse, it would have been cool if they had included a map of the world for people who dont know much about the setting.
Overall I gotta say I like fiction, especially if there are some crunchy parts complementing it.
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Yeah, its way too long since the last Princess Ark story. I think the sidebars helped alot in reminding people who these people were though. Ofcourse, it would have been cool if they had included a map of the world for people who dont know much about the setting.Overall I gotta say I like fiction, especially if there are some crunchy parts complementing it.
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Mystra wasn't even an interest of mine until the article. Now I'm really hoping that we see a good article or two in the coming classic campaign's about the setting.
If Dragon included crunchy bits with their fiction I would be much happier with the fiction in dragon.
And I'm really hoping to not open a can of worms here but, I love Downer, and I would love to see crunchy bits involving the characters, items and the places presented in the comic strip. WOULD LOVE IT.
Yes, the "crunchy bits" would be of great interest!
I am reading some of my Dragons from about 2 years ago and see rule for NPCs from novels, write up with states on monsters and rules for spells from video games, etc.
Now THOSE were handy features I'd like to see return, and similar things associated with the fiction (and for the April issue, for Downer and other cartoons) would be super!
On the Voyage of the Princess Ark episode:
Mystra wasn't even an interest of mine until the article. Now I'm really hoping that we see a good article or two in the coming classic campaign's about the setting.
Just thought I'd mention that the author, Bruce Heard is commenting on his article at:
http://boards1.wizards.com/forumdisplay.php?f=291Håvard