I was a fan of Dragon Magzine for years and would to see it revived... the way paizo did it.
What will it take to for Paizo to get Erik Mona or one of the other aces to do a magazine for Pathfinder?
A fan.
RPG Superstar 2011 Top 32
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I was a fan of Dragon Magzine for years and would to see it revived... the way paizo did it.
What will it take to for Paizo to get Erik Mona or one of the other aces to do a magazine for Pathfinder?
A fan.
Have you checked out Kobold Quarterly at all? (You can purchase it here from paizo at their online store, or go to the KQ site.)
It has a fair amount of official Pathfinder content, and a great deal of general PFRPG/3.5 articles that you can add to just about any game.
It's a great mag, and just keeps getting better. I highly recommend you check it out.
Not too put too fine a point on it, the magazine business is an awful stinker of an industry where the money you put into it vanishes never to be seen again and the revenue stream and thus profit doesn't materialize until YEARS after you start.
In addition, in order to get your magazine into all the places you'd need to get it to make it worth while, you have to essentially bribe dozens of vendors to make that happen and that's just more money flushed away.
We did it once, we did it well, but oh man are we glad we don't do it anymore.
-Former Director of Ad Sales for Dragon & Dungeon
This means that the best hope for such a magazine would be on the side of fans.
That's what Wayfinder illustrates perfectly.
Another option would be for the community of Paizo messageboards to gather a collection of the best ideas brought on the forums.
The team of Wayfinder would be precious for their experience, as well as the people of Pathfinder Wiki.
The result could be posted online and/or put together as a PDF.
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I was a fan of Dragon Magzine for years and would to see it revived... the way paizo did it.
What will it take to for Paizo to get Erik Mona or one of the other aces to do a magazine for Pathfinder?
A fan.
As others have said, we pretty much DO have this - Kobold Quarterly magazine. Any fan of Pathfinder or just D&D in general should check it out and honestly, the cost to subscribe is very reasonable ... everyone owes it to themselves to subscribe or at least pick up a copy each month.
There really is nothing quite like a beautiful, professional quality print magazine to hold in your hands and read and collect! My copies of Kobold Quarterly go on my shelf right next to my collection of Dragon magazines.
Gaming folks like these must know something:
"What a roleplaying magazine should be."
Ed Greenwood
"The spiritual successor to Dragon magazine."
Erik Mona
Mona
+ 1 on Kobold. Really great mag. Give it a look.
Actually printing a magazine is a bad idea IMHO. But somewhere down the road, perhaps something that I could read on a ipad/kindle/tablet PC/whatever might be nice. But i'd let that cottage industry get up and going first before i would just jump in.
Aren't the APs, Chronicles, and Companions pretty much the substitute for Dungeon and Dragon? (A monthly adventure supplement with new rules, monsters, fiction and backgrounds; a player friendly book of culture, writeups, and new feats/traits; and a GM book with new rules and locations?)
I hope we can cover that hole with the Wayfinder Fanzine. Its only twice a year but its 150+ pages a year of FREE articles and lots of art. It may be fan-made, but lots of its stuff is quite professional ;)
Given that the magazine trade is dying, that's like asking for a Paizo brand buggy whip.
I'd get that
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Aren't the APs, Chronicles, and Companions pretty much the substitute for Dungeon and Dragon? (A monthly adventure supplement with new rules, monsters, fiction and backgrounds; a player friendly book of culture, writeups, and new feats/traits; and a GM book with new rules and locations?)+ 1 on Kobold. Really great mag. Give it a look.
Actually printing a magazine is a bad idea IMHO. But somewhere down the road, perhaps something that I could read on a ipad/kindle/tablet PC/whatever might be nice. But i'd let that cottage industry get up and going first before I would just jump in.
I think to an extent that's true about the APs, not so much for the others. But since APs are mostly purchaced by DMs, not everyone is getting access to some top drawer stuff.
I subscribe to it all so I have to say Im not advocating for any of what is being writen to stop.
But maybe what would be nice is a Paizo magazine that covered fantasy fiction, and gaming. But I'm just riffing. Paizo is a shop worked to the max so I'm not going to hold my breath on this.
Kobold Press
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Thanks for the kind words on Kobold Quarterly, folks. We continue to have a TON of Pathfinder support in our pages every issues, including articles by Paizo stuff including James Jacobs, Hank Woon, Jason Bulmahn, and more to come soon.
It's kind of a steal, frankly, and in addition to the subscriptions mentioned above, it's also available right here on the Paizo store.
I actually find the AP very magazine like. Well at least I look forward to my monthly subscription coming in the same way I used to with Dragon Magazine when got that back some 20 years ago.
With the AP I get an adventure, several articles, cool art work, the bestiary, and a story.
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I would like to see all the old magazines come out PDF or CD a year at a time....
Maybe a fan based thing to bring new life into some of the older articles, worlds, races, classes. Be able to see the original article and then the updates and changes that bring it into PF.
From what I've seen on the threads any new gish that is well done, someone please do the bladesinger as a base class... and kender with handler as a base class....
Not gonna happen, all the contents of Dragon and Dungeon are property of WotC.
Have you checked out Kobold Quarterly at all? (You can purchase it here from paizo at their online store, or go to the KQ site.)
I looked through KQ some time back (maybe ½ a year ago) and was not impressed. It was mostly 4E stuff, and to be blunt it makes me sick.
That is why I was specifically asking about a PF mag. Of course things might have changed, so I will look it through again. Anyway for KQ to become an alternative for me it would mainly have to be a PF magazine.
I hope we can cover that hole with the Wayfinder Fanzine. Its only twice a year but its 150+ pages a year of FREE articles and lots of art. It may be fan-made, but lots of its stuff is quite professional ;)
So far Wayfinder has been great, but twice a year is a very long time between issues.
Ok, I'll put myself out there as flame bait, although my comments are my honest opinions:
I'm not willing to pay $7.99 plus s/h (from Paizo) for a magazine that includes a bulk of information on a game system (4E) that I don't play.
I *did* carry a subscription to Dragon Magazine, which was entirely devoted to a game system I played.
I *do* carry a subscription to Crusader Magazine, which is entirely devoted to Castles and Crusades, which I play ($3.99 cover price or $36.00 annual for 12 issues, btw).
I *would* pay for a magazine totally devoted to Pathfinder, but that idea evidently has generally been poo-pooed by "those in the know". I don't know a thing about the magazine publishing business, so I'll take their collective word on it.
I certainly don't expect a company to hemorrhage money to publish a magazine and would much rather Paizo, for example, use their resources on what they already do exceptionally well: RPG products!
Aren't the APs, Chronicles, and Companions pretty much the substitute for Dungeon and Dragon? (A monthly adventure supplement with new rules, monsters, fiction and backgrounds; a player friendly book of culture, writeups, and new feats/traits; and a GM book with new rules and locations?)
Not realy. What I am talking about is a monthly (maybe bi-monthly magazine). It should contain detailed background for one of the hundreds of unpublished areas of Golarin, deities or similar. Maybe new mundane and magical items. Or spells, Or feats. A variety of artwork and even something like Dragonmirth. Golarion specific fiction would be a must and of course an Erik Mona editorial!
I already subscribe to APs, compaion, and chronicles and absolutely love them, but a small light bundle containing a varied butch of articles would IMO be a great suplement.
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Have you checked out Kobold Quarterly at all? (You can purchase it here from paizo at their online store, or go to the KQ site.)I looked through KQ some time back (maybe ½ a year ago) and was not impressed. It was mostly 4E stuff, and to be blunt it makes me sick.
That is why I was specifically asking about a PF mag. Of course things might have changed, so I will look it through again. Anyway for KQ to become an alternative for me it would mainly have to be a PF magazine.
Weird, KQ 12 only had four 4E articles in it, with plenty of other things to outweigh them. And even the one article on the Winter Court was interesting despite being 4E. You must have gotten an issue with a different mix.
I think a lot of good ideas are kicked around on this thread.
I love KQ. Even when its 4E heavy, there is some nugget I can use, and I am not above converting 4E ideas. Once I get the freelance project from Hell done, I may try my hand at some articles.
I was VERY happy with the way Wayfinder turned out. I think its an idea worth growing, and could evolve into just what you are looking for. I would have no problem paying for a monthly or bimonthly pdf mag of this quality. While I dearly miss a "hold in your hand" mag, I know full well that publishing costs makes that a losing deal. It would require a lot of very dedicated work from everyone to make something like that work; and to keep the quality as high as it is now.
From A to Z
I agree with you.
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Have you checked out Kobold Quarterly at all? (You can purchase it here from paizo at their online store, or go to the KQ site.)I looked through KQ some time back (maybe ½ a year ago) and was not impressed. It was mostly 4E stuff, and to be blunt it makes me sick.
That is why I was specifically asking about a PF mag. Of course things might have changed, so I will look it through again. Anyway for KQ to become an alternative for me it would mainly have to be a PF magazine.
I'd give it one more look. Last issue really rocked. I really liked the Pathfinder divine casters that they came up with and mad love for the Froghemoth article. I love me some old school monster stuff. (Thinking about it now i may have to go back and re-read that tonight.)
I'm not a 4th Edition player, and it doesn't so I don't get the full effect of the 4e articles, but they do spark ideas. Plus I find the Zobeck info interesting. I'm a sucker for world building articles.
Not too put too fine a point on it, the magazine business is an awful stinker of an industry where the money you put into it vanishes never to be seen again and the revenue stream and thus profit doesn't materialize until YEARS after you start.
In addition, in order to get your magazine into all the places you'd need to get it to make it worth while, you have to essentially bribe dozens of vendors to make that happen and that's just more money flushed away.
We did it once, we did it well, but oh man are we glad we don't do it anymore.
-Former Director of Ad Sales for Dragon & Dungeon
I would not wish for you to get into something that bad. If magazine business is THAT bad I would be satisfied with a lighter electronic version of a PF mag.
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I think a lot of good ideas are kicked around on this thread.
I love KQ. Even when its 4E heavy, there is some nugget I can use, and I am not above converting 4E ideas. Once I get the freelance project from Hell done, I may try my hand at some articles.
I was VERY happy with the way Wayfinder turned out. I think its an idea worth growing, and could evolve into just what you are looking for. I would have no problem paying for a monthly or bimonthly pdf mag of this quality. While I dearly miss a "hold in your hand" mag, I know full well that publishing costs makes that a losing deal. It would require a lot of very dedicated work from everyone to make something like that work; and to keep the quality as high as it is now.
I think the only way to get Kobold from printing 4e is if such a large quantity of quality Pathfinder/3.5 material was submited to Wolfgang that it simply crowded out any other material.
So writers get to it.
Creative Director
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So here's the thing.
1: Magazines are a VERY tough business. Paizo spent 5 years or so in that business, and it was rough. We're MUCH more successful just in the past few years of being out of the mag biz and in the book biz. We're not interested in going back.
2: We already do several monthly lines of products. Pathfinder Adventure Path, in particular, is very much the spiritual successor to Dragon and Dungeon magazine under Paizo's control. And doing these products already has us running at or just beyond our capacity. Adding a magazine would break our backs.
3: The Pathfinder RPG is 100% open. It's more open than D&D was, in fact. There's NOTHING preventing other publishers from doing magazines, and that's really something I'm hoping to see happen. Wayfinder's a great example of this coming true, and Kobold Quarterly is as well. In fact, just judging Kobold Quarterly's content based on one volume released at about the time 4E was still exploding out into the world is not an accurate look. I heartily recommend anyone looking for a great gaming magazine to check out Kobold Quarterly—it really is quite awesome!
I'd love to put out more Wayfinder, I really would. Sad fact is that's a lot of work for no pay (besides the feel-good warm fuzzies), and the full-time job must come first (and the relationship).
So unless I win the lotto or build a space-time folding device to add extra hours in the day, twice a year it shall be.
And KQ really is awesomely full of win - you should really check it out. Wolfgang has repeatedly said they publish articles that they get, so if we want more Pathfinder, writers gotta write 'em!
I wish the "Dragon" half of the APs were split off into it's own. And no, the Companions and Chronicles are not this.
3: The Pathfinder RPG is 100% open. It's more open than D&D was, in fact. There's NOTHING preventing other publishers from doing magazines, and that's really something I'm hoping to see happen. Wayfinder's a great example of this coming true, and Kobold Quarterly is as well. In fact, just judging Kobold Quarterly's content based on one volume released at about the time 4E was still exploding out into the world is not an accurate look.
"PRPG is 100% open" what does that exactly mean? Someone can write new spells, feats, items, etc for it. Even classes or PrCs. What are the limits?
If someone wanted to make contributions to Golarion (through Wayfinder or KQ) would that also be posible? And to what extent?
I know PRPG and Golarion are two separate things, but to be frank I have a hard time separating the two; And as a complement to you I think Golarion is an important part of PFs charm.
"PRPG is 100% open" what does that exactly mean? Someone can write new spells, feats, items, etc for it. Even classes or PrCs. What are the limits?
If someone wanted to make contributions to Golarion (through Wayfinder or KQ) would that also be possible? And to what extent?
I know PRPG and Golarion are two separate things, but to be frank I have a hard time separating the two; And as a complement to you I think Golarion is an important part of PFs charm.
PRPG is the ruleset, and anybody can use them for their own products through the Pathfinder Compatibility License/Open Gaming License.
Golarion is Paizo's intellectual property, and can't be used by third parties without special permission and approval. For Wayfinder, we can do this through the Community Use Policy, as we are not (and cannot) charging for its content. For KQ, articles are sent to James & Company for approval.
Wayfinder #3's submissions are closed, but Wayfinder #4's submissions will be opening up at some point later this year. None of what is submitted to Wayfinder should be considered canon or "officially" part of Golarion, though!
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Creative Director
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3: The Pathfinder RPG is 100% open. It's more open than D&D was, in fact. There's NOTHING preventing other publishers from doing magazines, and that's really something I'm hoping to see happen. Wayfinder's a great example of this coming true, and Kobold Quarterly is as well. In fact, just judging Kobold Quarterly's content based on one volume released at about the time 4E was still exploding out into the world is not an accurate look."PRPG is 100% open" what does that exactly mean? Someone can write new spells, feats, items, etc for it. Even classes or PrCs. What are the limits?
If someone wanted to make contributions to Golarion (through Wayfinder or KQ) would that also be posible? And to what extent?
I know PRPG and Golarion are two separate things, but to be frank I have a hard time separating the two; And as a complement to you I think Golarion is an important part of PFs charm.
What it means is that the rules are 100% open. Golarion, though, is not.
Anyone can create a magazine or supplement or book or adventure using the Pathfinder rules, but they can't use any Golarion content in the form of proper nouns or story elements—you CAN use rules elements that we print in our Golarion products, though. For Kobold Quarterly, all Golarion content gets approved by me before it goes into production. For Wayfinder, all Golarion content is covered under the Community Use License.
The OGL publishing scene is kind of complex as to what you can and can't do, though, it's true.
EDIT: Ninjaed by Lilith!
EDIT: Ninjaed by Lilith!
Mwah-hah-hah!
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I'd love to put out more Wayfinder, I really would. Sad fact is that's a lot of work for no pay (besides the feel-good warm fuzzies), and the full-time job must come first (and the relationship).
So unless I win the lotto or build a space-time folding device to add extra hours in the day, twice a year it shall be.
And KQ really is awesomely full of win - you should really check it out. Wolfgang has repeatedly said they publish articles that they get, so if we want more Pathfinder, writers gotta write 'em!
Indeed foer what I heard both from Lilith and Hugo (who do an awesome work with Wayfinder) is backbreaking work with the only benefit of the feeling of realization (and posibly promotion), and I am happy to be part (in my small way) of the Wayfinder effort.
and all in all thanks to Paizo for allowing us to aprticipate in such wonderful world.
Besides.. I too want more time in the day... I keep buying the KQ but I haven't get the time to actually read more than 2 articles of the 12 magazines :S
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I'd love to put out more Wayfinder, I really would. Sad fact is that's a lot of work for no pay (besides the feel-good warm fuzzies), and the full-time job must come first (and the relationship).
So unless I win the lotto or build a space-time folding device to add extra hours in the day, twice a year it shall be.
And KQ really is awesomely full of win - you should really check it out. Wolfgang has repeatedly said they publish articles that they get, so if we want more Pathfinder, writers gotta write 'em!
Indeed foer what I heard both from Lilith and Hugo (who do an awesome work with Wayfinder) is backbreaking work with the only benefit of the feeling of realization (and posibly promotion), and I am happy to be part (in my small way) of the Wayfinder effort.
and all in all thanks to Paizo for allowing us to aprticipate in such wonderful world.
Besides.. I too want more time in the day... I keep buying the KQ but I haven't get the time to actually read more than 2 articles of the 12 magazines :S
you are depriving yourself, Get ye to yon magazines...
I'd love to put out more Wayfinder, I really would. Sad fact is that's a lot of work for no pay (besides the feel-good warm fuzzies), and the full-time job must come first (and the relationship).
So unless I win the lotto or build a space-time folding device to add extra hours in the day, twice a year it shall be.
And KQ really is awesomely full of win - you should really check it out. Wolfgang has repeatedly said they publish articles that they get, so if we want more Pathfinder, writers gotta write 'em!
+100!
I wish the "Dragon" half of the APs were split off into it's own. And no, the Companions and Chronicles are not this.
I kind of agree. I enjoyed reading Dragon magazine, but I never really bought much Dungeon, because I don't really care for modules and adventures - it's often more work for me to convert them into something that functions right for my games than it would be just to make an adventure on my own. The APs are pretty much large percentage adventure, small percentage useful articles, and I don't find them valuable enough to pay the price tag (or even 75% of the price tag when I buy them via my general book department and get my employee discount). I wasn't an active subscriber to Dragon at the time that it died, but I did buy a fair number of issues between when I canceled my subscription and the end.
I keep hoping that the mechanics articles from the APs will be collected into rules-focused supplements - for example, if Kingmaker is the ONLY place I can go to get Paizo's mass combat rules, I'll be a little disappointed, as those are rules that are valuable to any DM, not just to people who also want the AP module. I expect that we won't see those rules reprinted for a good long while, though. I hope I'm wrong.
I wish the "Dragon" half of the APs were split off into it's own. And no, the Companions and Chronicles are not this.I kind of agree.
Doubt that is fiscally possible. Although maybe a pdf subscription to the "backup" articles is out of the question
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Doubt that is fiscally possible. Although maybe a pdf subscription to the "backup" articles is out of the questionI wish the "Dragon" half of the APs were split off into it's own. And no, the Companions and Chronicles are not this.I kind of agree.
I think this would actually be a great idea. I'm a DM and am currently subscribing to Pathfinder because the adventures themselves interest me.
The bestiaries, gazettes, stories and rules supplements would all be worth buying in a separate PDF for a cost-break (say half the price of the full PDF?)
Or perhaps in a collection at the end of the AP, for example I want ALL of Second Darkness' supplemental material, but don't particularly want Second Darkness' Adventures. If there was a cost-break I'd be interested in picking up those PDFs.
Just a thought.
I hope you went to see a doctor, I hear that 4Eitis can be quite debilitating. Almost as bad as hyperbolesteria.
I looked through KQ some time back (maybe ½ a year ago) and was not impressed. It was mostly 4E stuff, and to be blunt it makes me sick.
What are the signs and symptoms of 4Eitis? Can complete a combat in less that 3 hours?
What are the signs and symptoms of 4Eitis? Can complete a combat in less that 3 hours?I hope you went to see a doctor, I hear that 4Eitis can be quite debilitating. Almost as bad as hyperbolesteria.
I looked through KQ some time back (maybe ½ a year ago) and was not impressed. It was mostly 4E stuff, and to be blunt it makes me sick.
The most remarkable symptom is an unexplainable urge to walk diagonaly!
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Perhaps what would be a good idea for all of those articals that end up in a AP is that they might be reprinted in a sort of "best of" sort of PDF after they have been in print for a period of time.
For example, by the end of the this year, the articles of the first year of APs could be rebound, (maybe even brought up from 3.5 to PRPG.) and sold so people don't miss out of some of the fine work that has come before.
I honestly really look forward to my AP subscription because of those articles, they make it more or less into my game more so that the AP themselves as I tend to run Pathfinder Society game more.
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What about creating a thread called "PF fanzine here" and asking that people post only fully written articles, new classes, races, feats, rules, etc???
Or call it "official PF fanzine articles"
Just an idea.....
Any other rational anarchists who think this could work?
err we do that in Wayfinder already :P
at leastpartially
I would love to see the Wayfinder Quarterly as well, but since it has its roots as a fanzine, this is highly unlikely. Lilith and Hugo just can't devote their entire lives to Wayfinder--they're not trying to save the whales after all. The best we can hope for is to con industry faves into writing the occasional article for Wayfinder or checking out official Pathfinder RPG content in "Kobold Quarterly". With regards to indusrty faves, we may have a decent shot at getting Necromancer's head man on board...
What about creating a thread called "PF fanzine here" and asking that people post only fully written articles, new classes, races, feats, rules, etc???
Or call it "official PF fanzine articles"
Just an idea.....
Any other rational anarchists who think this could work?