Hat's off to Paizo!

[Cebrion]

My hat is off to the folks at Paizo who have been laboring under this depressing cloud for many months now. It looks like they will weather the storm just fine. I look forward to their OGL content, and I am also very happy to hear about the deal with Necromancer Games as they produce most of my favorite 3rd party D&D gaming products. Thanks to all the Paizo staff and freelance writers and artists who have made the magazines as interesting as they have been for the past 5 years. I look forward to seeing the quality work continue in Pathfinder. Also, the transiton options for suscription holders are excellent and well thought out. Great work on that.

I'm sure the decision to end the magazines was not taken lightly, and has been in the works since last year. It’s sad to see these staples of D&D gaming leave the shelves and go digital, but it’s a common trend these days. Still, I'd rather not go blind (or get migraines or seizures) from prolonged viewing of a computer screen. Plus, the non-hard copy format will surely cut into my personal time visiting the "Throne of Iuz" to release a few otters into the sea (think about it for a bit ;)), as it's not so easy to carry my computer case and monitor with me(I have no laptop).

I can’t really fault WotC too much for what they are doing. It is forward thinking, even if I don’t like it, and most things revolve around saving more money or making more money. Either this moves pays off for them, or not. That of course all depends on the quality of WotC’s planned on-line content and how much they decide to charge for it. It’s a big change to be sure. Maybe it will be good in the end, maybe not. It is way too early to tell. Still, I will miss the magazines when they are finally gone.

[Shade]

I started a "Thanks Paizo!" thread over at ENWorld which has since been merged with another thread about showing them continued support.

Anyway, if you want to chime in:
http://www.enworld.org/showthread.php?t=194312

If you don't feel like heading over there, here were my thoughts...

Paizo, thanks for the Golden Age

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I returned from my sister's wedding this past weekend to the sad news of the death of my two favorite magazines. After I got over the initial shock, I immediately thought of what has made Dragon and Dungeon my go-to source for D&D material in the past few years.

I've been a long-time, on-and-off subscriber to Dragon (since around issue #54, I believe), and the magazine has never been better than since Erik and the current regime took the reins. I've looked forward every month to finding those little gems in my mailbox, and then ripping open the plastic and pouring through the pages like a kid in a candy store.

Just a few of things I'd like to thank you for...

Thanks for reviving the so-called "dead settings" that many of us love and far prefer to the current settings. Campaign Classics issues are true classics.
Thanks for the revival and continued support of Greyhawk.
Thanks for the Demonomicon, the best series of articles to ever grace the pages of the magazine.
Thanks for bringing back the Creature Catalog.
Thanks for Wandering Monsters.
Thanks for the Shackled City, Age of Worms, and Savage Tide.
Thanks for Core Beliefs.
Thanks for the hundreds of great character options to appear in Class Acts.
Thanks for making the Ecology articles interesting again.
Thanks for allowing a venue for the beloved monsters from past editions that no longer grace the pages of Monster Manuals.
Thanks for remaining true to D&D canon and expanding it in exciting new directions.
Thanks for the Dragon Compendium...I wish you could've made many more.
Thanks for posting here frequently, even when threads were not the most welcome places for you to reply.
Thanks for treating contributers with respect. (It was a pleasure and an honor to contribute to your magazines)

So a big thank-you to Erik, James, Jason, Mike, Wes, Jeremy, other James, and all the rest. I wish you all the best and continued success. I look forward to whatever you guys come up with next.

[Rauol_Duke]

I agree wholeheartedly with the above post. Paizo rocks!

[Nerf the Softy]

Its sad to see Dragon and Dungeon go. I have bought many issues over the time that Paizo published it but that was more my not being able to play D&D these last 5 years. I really enjoyed the issues I picked up. I always knew it would be there to see what was up with the game I had been playing since 1982. This may be corny but the last time I felt like this was when I finished watch the commentaries on the Return of the King DVD. What got to me was knowing that it was over, there was nothing to look forward to. Kind of like a good friend I will never see again. I have all my memories of the past to laugh about but nothing new.

I look forward to the on-line thing that a read a little about for me there is something about holding the magazine that means something to me. I've tried to read books on-line or on my IPod but its not that same. Its the feel, the smell, the dog eared pages that make the connection. Granted my wife with be happy, the electronic format will safe me space.

In closing I just wanted to say thanks Paizo for the great work you did and I will look to buy the last few issues that come out.

Nerf the Softy

[Tom Pigeon]

Agreed, kudos to Paizo for being a great company. The loss of Dragon saddens me to no end. I have fond childhood memories of flipping through Dragon. The magazine is the same age I am.

This has got to be a serious blow to Paizo as a company. I hope they can survive based on their other products.

[Phil Lacefield Jr.]

Aww, you guys love us. You really, really love us!! *sniffle*

For the entire staff, I say thank you, truly, thank you. You guys have NO idea what it means for us to read these boards and know we have such fans out there. It gives us great pride in what we do, what we're planning, and the future of our works.

That, and we all have massive hungry egos that need fed on an hourly basis, so keep 'em coming :-)

Based on the numbers I'm seeing of folks converting to Pathfinder, plus the discussions I've had here in Vegas this week with retailers (the department heads are all at the GAMA Trade Show, the hobby/game industry's version of E3), we are going to do just fine indeed.

Thanks for sticking by us, and thanks for your continued support!

[Sharoth]

Hey Phil. I hope that you kno that we do charge by the hour for supporting you. I have sent my first bill to you all at Paizo and you should be recieving it soon. ~grins~

[Phil Lacefield Jr.]

THAT, my friend, is why we have ludicrous expense accounts.

Just, uhh, just don't tell Lisa. Please.

Oh crap.

[Edward Bahr]

I would also like to chime in on how great your guys wok is. I've subscribed to both magizines since I started playing and love the work in both, I'm very sad to see them going but I have faith in the things to come from yous.
Thank you for all the great work.

Edward Bahr

[Marechal]

Edward Bahr Jr wrote:

I would also like to chime in on how great your guys wok is.

Great RPG products, and great stir-fry! Is there anything Paizo cannot do?

[MrVergee]

Yes, it can't be stressed enough.

You guys did a great job. Dungeon magazine has been the heart of my DMing job for many years, especially since the conversion to Paizo.

So once again, thank you!

[seekerofshadowlight]

also must say u guysdo great work cant wait fot pathfinder

[Brent Stroh]

Phil Lacefield Jr. wrote:

Based on the numbers I'm seeing of folks converting to Pathfinder, plus the discussions I've had here in Vegas this week with retailers (the department heads are all at the GAMA Trade Show, the hobby/game industry's version of E3), we are going to do just fine indeed.

Thanks for sticking by us, and thanks for your continued support!

For the last year or three, I've been skimming over Dragon every month and filing it. Every so often, I'd find something that caught my attention - generally just often enough to make it worth keeping my subscription.

Every month, though, I've really enjoyed reading the adventures in Dungeon, even though I'm not running a campaign and won't be for the foreseeable future.

Which probably makes it sort of foolish to convert almost 3 years of Dragon and 3 years of Dungeon into a big pile of Pathfinders that I'm not likely to run. :)

But, I've enjoyed the adventures in Dungeon, and I respect how well Paizo treats customers, and gamers in general. Asking for feedback, answering questions, sending replacement magazines when a gamer's backpack is stolen, sending product to people affected by Katrina or soldiers deployed in Iraq - I don't mind supporting a company (and, realistically, the people) like that.