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Dragon Magazine stops publishing

Started by drice6900,

143 posts in this topic

drice6900

drice6900

Posted
Posted

Apparently they are going online only with Dragon and Dungeon magazine. Is this the future for comic books?

 

linky

 

FROM THE PUBLISHER

Dear friends,

Today, Wizards of the Coast and Paizo Publishing announced the conclusion of Paizo's license to publish Dragon and Dungeon magazines. The magazines will cease publication following the release of the September issues, which ship to subscribers and newsstands in August. The final issues will be Dragon #359 and Dungeon #150.

 

Wizards of the Coast will be moving the kind of content currently found in Dragon and Dungeon to an online model. Both companies remain on good terms and continue to discuss future opportunities for publishing partnerships.

 

Today also marks the official announcement of Pathfinder, a new monthly 96-page, perfect-bound, OGL-compatible full-color softcover Adventure Path book printed on high-quality paper for use with the world's most popular roleplaying game. Over the last several months, the same editors who bring you Dragon and Dungeon have been developing the next evolution in RPG campaigns, and we hope you'll take some time to look at what we have to offer. Pathfinder will debut in August at hobby retail stores, bookstores, and here on paizo.com, and—though it's a book, not a magazine—we'll be offering a subscription service for gamers eager to add a vorpal edge to their campaigns. In fact, you can subscribe to Pathfinder right now and receive a free bonus Player's Guide to the first Pathfinder Adventure Path: Rise of the Runelords.

 

Speaking of subscriptions, the discontinuation of Dragon and Dungeon will leave many of our valued subscribers with excess subscription credit. Paizo has set up a special Transition Page that offers multiple options to these subscribers.

 

We're sure many of you have questions about this development, so we've developed a special Frequently Asked Questions page that covers many of the issues you'll wonder about. If you don't see your question listed there, drop by the new Magazine Transition Customer Service forum on our messageboards, which we will be monitoring closely. If you don't have a question for Customer Service, but would just like to talk about the transition, we've set up a Transition Discussion forum for you to share your feelings with other members of the Paizo community.

 

If you're concerned about the future of Paizo, you can relax. We're very excited about Pathfinder, our GameMastery line of RPG modules and accessories, our Titanic Games line of deluxe board games, and Planet Stories, our recently announced line of classic science fiction and fantasy novels. No Paizo staffers have lost their jobs as a result of this development—in fact, we're so enthusiastic about our future that we've recently hired several new employees. However, if you're wondering what you can do to help Paizo succeed in our new ventures, please visit our What Can I Do to Help? page.

 

Dragon and Dungeon have been the backbone of Paizo Publishing for five years since we spun off from Wizards of the Coast's periodicals department in 2002, and both magazines have been an integral part of the RPG publishing world for decades. Bringing the magazines to you every month has been a true honor, and we in the Paizo family look forward to the continuing honor of serving your gaming needs for years and years to come.

 

Sincerely,

 

Erik Mona

Publisher

Paizo Publishing, LLC

April 19, 2007

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deathlok

deathlok

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Well I can imagine that there aren't as many gamers out there to support publishing the magazine. I used to buy Dragon religiously when I was a kid, and still have the first 150 issues.

 

Times change and those kids who played RPGs have moved on and todays kids have never played or even heard of RPGs, except through video games.

 

In fact, I wasn't even aware of who the publisher was. Ever since TSR folded, I lost track of all the RPG developments. Although ICE is still in business, which was one of my favorite publishers of RPGs.

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HouseofComics.Com

HouseofComics.Com

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Well said, DL. I had no idea they'd contracted/licensed it out either. Under those circumstances I am not surprised that it's an iffy proposition.

 

Two weeks ago I happened upon some early Dragon magazines at Half Price Books for a good price. I think it was issue 8, 9, and 13-15. So I bought them and am not sure what I enjoyed more: The vinegary (by which I mean spoon-y) answers by Tim Kask to letters to the editor, the editorial from Gary Gygax about everyone's copyright infringement, the gorgeous Wormy strips I'd never read before, or seeing the original Fineous strips that I know by heart from reading the Treasury 20 years ago.

 

Anyway, reading these old issues compelled me to wander into my local excellent games store, Games of Berkeley. Amidst all the wondrous array of RPG stuff, I saw bins of fin-de-siecle to present Dragons and Dungeons. I was pleased to see Dragon still going so strong and really, really shocked that Dungeon was still alive. I flipped through a few Dragons and even picked one out for old time's sake.

 

This is a sad announcement for me--thanks for posting it Drice.

 

Marc

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jordanscott

jordanscott

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That mag was a staple in my gaming group.

 

At least 3 of us had subscriptions.

 

I loved it. Was a great resource and had great art every month. The Wormy strips were great and they had some great comic relief. 'Killer Dungeon Master' was one of my all time fave pieces. 25 points wandering damage!

 

frown.gif

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FlyingDonut

FlyingDonut

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Well I can imagine that there aren't as many gamers out there to support publishing the magazine. I used to buy Dragon religiously when I was a kid, and still have the first 150 issues.

 

Times change and those kids who played RPGs have moved on and todays kids have never played or even heard of RPGs, except through video games.

 

In fact, I wasn't even aware of who the publisher was. Ever since TSR folded, I lost track of all the RPG developments. Although ICE is still in business, which was one of my favorite publishers of RPGs.

 

You have a Dragon 1? Want to move it? 893crossfingers-thumb.gif

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brasseye

brasseye

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Sad news indeed.

 

I followed some of the writer's a little after giving up RPG's.

Gary's own series Gord of Greyhawk was brilliant writing, and even Ed Greenwood who use to contribute under 'Elminster' did some, but a little less accesible to general tastes.

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Jeffro.

Jeffro.

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Well said, DL. I had no idea they'd contracted/licensed it out either. Under those circumstances I am not surprised that it's an iffy proposition.

 

 

They not only licenced out Dragon and Dungeon but some of their other properties, such as Dragonlance and Ravenloft. Now, they are pulling back all those licenses. There is puh-lenty of speculation on various RPG boards about what this means.

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deathlok

deathlok

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Well said, DL. I had no idea they'd contracted/licensed it out either. Under those circumstances I am not surprised that it's an iffy proposition.

 

 

They not only licenced out Dragon and Dungeon but some of their other properties, such as Dragonlance and Ravenloft. Now, they are pulling back all those licenses. There is puh-lenty of speculation on various RPG boards about what this means.

I don't think it means much. RPGs will never enjoy the success they had in the past. There are just too many other forms of entertainment that require less brainpower, less time, and less preparation. Which is really a shame, because RPG are pretty valuable in many ways, at least when compared to video games, tv, or comics.
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drice6900

drice6900

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This is a sad announcement for me--thanks for posting it Drice.

 

No problem - I'm pretty sad about it too. frown.gif The magazine had some rough years, but the last 2-3 years it has been excellent under Erik Mona's leadership.

 

I believe the last numbers I saw showed Dragon Magazine with a 80,000 circulation, and Dungeon Magazine (mostly for DMs) at around 30,000. Not Time Magazine numbers, but respectible for their niche. I think there is more behind it than WOTC and Piazo is telling us. Oh well...

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Earl Davis

Earl Davis

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I am strangely sad about this as well

 

I have not brought one since about 1991 or 1992 but between 1984 and the early 90’s I got Dragon every month. D&D was an important part of my life from between the ages of 16 and 18 with my interest not entirely drifting away until I was about 23.

 

Earl.

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jordanscott

jordanscott

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This is a good time for a Dragon magazine tribute thread. Anyone feel like posting their favorites? I wonder if there is an online cover gallery of Dragon/Dungeon.

 

When I was at a B&N a couple weeks go I saw they had a compendium: 'The Art of Dragon Magazine'

 

Lots of great stuff in there. Was thinking about getting it and now with this annoucement, I think I will.

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Shadow

Shadow

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I didn't know it still existed.

 

I think I still have some old ones from the early 80's. I'm never ashamed to admit how much fun we had playing in those days. And Dragon was fun to read. Part of the charm of D&D then (and I assume now) was the interaction between people. I can remember many all-nighters.

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