General RPG Magazines Unpopular: Why?

James J Skach · July 26, 2007, 04:52:37 PM

God Damn It Jim.

Can't you just let me get the credit once? Just once?

Uncaring Insensitive Bastard...

beeber · July 26, 2007, 04:59:12 PM

Quote from: James J SkachUse the paper to supplement the electronic, not the other way around.

i think that model would work.

and no, i don't know bit torrent. i've heard the term and assume it's some sort of download thing. as i have dial-up access, i generally stay away from any of that.

Serious Paul · July 26, 2007, 05:00:16 PM

Ah. When you have better access, bit torrent will be your friend!

jeff37923 · July 27, 2007, 12:31:10 AM

Quote from: James J SkachUse the paper to supplement the electronic, not the other way around.

And no, I don't know if it would even work.

The business model seems to work for Pyramid magazine. While they are a weekly electronic media 'zine, they also put out a Best of Pyramid printed supplement that collects what readers have voted on as the best articles from the online 'zine.

Bradford C. Walker · July 27, 2007, 06:32:39 PM

What this means, amongst other things, is that Internet access is no longer a luxury that you can do without; it's now a necessity, a fundamental element of a society's basic economic infrastructure, and lacking access to it utterly gimps you in ways above and beyond information about gaming.

James J Skach · July 28, 2007, 08:10:18 PM

Ahhh..yes...so we must provide internet access to everyone. If they can't afford it, it will provided for you....

That's a nice argument, Mr. Walker. Well played, sir.

Except that, ya know, you can go into just about any library in most developed countries and access the intraweb. Let me be more specific about information with which I have more experience - that's the case in the US. I assume it's the same in Canada, Britain, Australia, France, Germany - hell most of the EU, Japan, even China. I'll let those from thos countries tell me if I'm right or wrong about that....

Serious Paul · July 28, 2007, 08:20:16 PM

As I understand it James is correct-that communal access to the web via libraries, and web "Cafes" is becoming much more common place. But it does raise a question in my mind: would you be selling an RPG magazine-today-some place where there was no internet access? (Assuming there is such a country, which I can't honestly say is true or not.)

Tom B · July 28, 2007, 10:03:33 PM

Quote from: Mark PlemmonsFYI, you can get the earliest Shadis issues as PDFs here.

But you should pick up a copy of a recent Knights of the Dinner Table, if you don't already. You get 80 pages (20-30 of strips) of articles and features, quite a few of which were inherited from Shadis creator Jolly Blackburn.

On a whim, I picked up a copy of KotD for about $5. Unfortunately, none of the strips were remotely interesting (none were with the core group, which is the only one I find amusing), and there was little in the way of articles...at least that I was interested in reading. Very disappointing...

RPGObjects_chuck · July 29, 2007, 08:57:10 PM

Quote from: KoltarNot quite true - it exists for one more month. We got the penultimate issue on the stands last week.

Again - what would it take to launch a NEW Gaming magazine???

- Ed C.

A large fortune you were willing to convert into a very small one.

Bradford C. Walker · July 30, 2007, 12:52:15 PM

Quote from: James J SkachExcept that, ya know, you can go into just about any library in most developed countries and access the intraweb. Let me be more specific about information with which I have more experience - that's the case in the US. I assume it's the same in Canada, Britain, Australia, France, Germany - hell most of the EU, Japan, even China. I'll let those from thos countries tell me if I'm right or wrong about that....

If you live in a city, and that city deigned to provide it, this may be true- you still need the transportation to get there and the means to access it once on site. None of this is universal or guaranteed, yet the pressure coming from the top is such that you have to have it to get on in society. The Internet is akin to access to a car in the US; there are very few places where you can get by without one without significantly, if not severely, harming yourself.

James J Skach · July 30, 2007, 01:05:00 PM

Quote from: Bradford C. WalkerIf you live in a city, and that city deigned to provide it, this may be true- you still need the transportation to get there and the means to access it once on site. None of this is universal or guaranteed, yet the pressure coming from the top is such that you have to have it to get on in society. The Internet is akin to access to a car in the US; there are very few places where you can get by without one without significantly, if not severely, harming yourself.

I'm curious - truly (not confrontational) - if there's any statistical information on this subject.

I'd love to see # of municipailties/counties in the US without a public library. Number of those with public libraries that do not have internet access. Distance of average citizen from nearest public library location. Etc.

Here's my gut instinct on it: Are there places that don't have access within a reasonable distance, to a library or access of some sort? Sure. But it's small and shrinking every day.

But my gut has been wrong before, so I'd love to see data if anyone knows of any...

Pierce Inverarity · July 30, 2007, 01:19:38 PM

James, I won't google this for you, but more than half of the populace of planet Earth have yet to make their first phone call.

Re. the more narrow subject of printed RPG mags vs. infraweb house rags, we all know that we're part of a tiny fraction of gamers who actually bother to check out info on the web regularly. If Dragon/Dungeon are converted into a company's web content, that's a withdrawal from public visibility, because nobody except a significant fraction of that tiny fraction visits Wizards. All that may make financial sense, but it's not a triumph of technology or anything.

joewolz · July 30, 2007, 01:46:09 PM

Quote from: James J SkachI'd love to see # of municipailties/counties in the US without a public library. Number of those with public libraries that do not have internet access. Distance of average citizen from nearest public library location. Etc.

Out of maybe half a dozen libraries per county in the southernmost 17 counties of Illinois, the only libraries with internet access are those in colleges...so four.

flyingmice · July 30, 2007, 01:59:01 PM

Quote from: KoltarNot quite true - it exists for one more month. We got the penultimate issue on the stands last week.

Again - what would it take to launch a NEW Gaming magazine???

- Ed C.

Lots of money and no fear of bankruptcy.

-clash

Edit: Bah! Chuck beat me to it!

General RPG Print Magazines == Box Set RPGs == Nostalgically remembered dinosaur which no publisher in his right mind would attempt.

Settembrini · July 30, 2007, 02:03:10 PM

I hope everyone is aware of the Kobold Quarterly?
It´s even in print form!
To subscribers, that is.