Farewell Dragon and Dungeon

It seems like the biggest announcement since D&D 3.5 just broke out: Paizo Publishing ceases publication of Dragon and Dungeon and magazine.

Now both Dragon and Dungeon have been staples in D&D's long history. Both magazines weren't there from the beginning but ever since they popped up, they've been part of the gaming culture.

When D&D 3.0 came out and fell into the hands of Wizards of the Coast, both magazines were supported by the company. Some time later, there was a shift and the people behind the magazine splintered into Paizo Publishing. Now I love Paizo. It's not just that they've made two remarkable publications (in addition to their other products), it's that I've seen two remarkable products that have actually improved. Dragon didn't always have a "Class Acts" section but in retrospect seems intuitive to the nature of the magazine. Dungeon's "Adventure Path" series was equally successful and monumental, especially the likes of the epic Savage Tide and Age of Worms adventures.

What's the implication of the news? Honestly, I'm neutral about it. Not exactly bad news but it does smell of one thing for certain: change.

Paizo has done a stellar job. I think there is (much) life for them after Dragon and Dungeon. In fact, this might be a good thing as they get to explore new options. Their Pathfinder series isn't necessarily a sure thing but again, it's more of a different product rather than stemming from the corpses of the two defunct magazines.

Where Wizards of the Coast is taking the two publications, only time will tell. In the message boards, people aren't too keen on the electronic content format. For me it's a wait and see. The company can make an even bigger success with the two publications. Or they might not. I'm not automatically ruling them out of the picture and claiming this decision as the worst mistake ever... at least not yet. At the very least however, the product is going to be different. And that's not necessarily a bad thing.

Neither Dragon, Dungeon, or Paizo Publishing are dead. They're just changing--evolving. Don't count them out of the picture yet. As with most things, it's a wait-and-see before I make a final decision.