D&D e-magazines don't suck, but I still miss Dragon.
Since the release of 4th edition, the Dungeon and Dragon e-zines have improved tremendously. Already we have great articles from Mike Mearls, Nicolas Logue, and other industry greats that present both intriguing fluff and solid crunch that I could see myself integrating into my games. Not only that, but both magazines are presented in an easy-to-read, landscape format pdf. Overall, its a drastic improvement over the so-called "magazines" were were seeing just after the cancellation of Paizo's print version.
Despite the vast improvement, however, it just doesn't beat the real thing. I miss getting my Dungeon and Dragon in the mail every month, going through the ritual of unwrapping the plastic, paging through each issue, and reading the magazine in-depth. I miss the coolness of glossy paper in my hand and the smell of fresh print. You don't get any of these things with the online version. I know that periodical publications are a competitive, niche market, in which it is both difficult to succeed and risky to try, but I really lament the death of Dragon and Dungeon in print to this day.
So now we have a great resource for online material, written by talented designers and nicely supplementing the print products. That is great. But Wizards, you really should call it something else, because the Dragon and Dungeon magazines I loved are officially gone forever.
Despite the vast improvement, however, it just doesn't beat the real thing. I miss getting my Dungeon and Dragon in the mail every month, going through the ritual of unwrapping the plastic, paging through each issue, and reading the magazine in-depth. I miss the coolness of glossy paper in my hand and the smell of fresh print. You don't get any of these things with the online version. I know that periodical publications are a competitive, niche market, in which it is both difficult to succeed and risky to try, but I really lament the death of Dragon and Dungeon in print to this day.
So now we have a great resource for online material, written by talented designers and nicely supplementing the print products. That is great. But Wizards, you really should call it something else, because the Dragon and Dungeon magazines I loved are officially gone forever.