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AKA_Bait
2007-01-15, 03:36 PM
I hope this is the right forum for it, but I've been looking to peruse a few copies of Dungeon or Dragon magazine before I commit to a subscription but I haven't the slightest clue where to purchase them in the New York City area. Can anyone help me out?

Much thanks.

Thomas
2007-01-15, 04:09 PM
Any gaming store? Over here even my local library (in a small town in the capital city area) gets copies.

AKA_Bait
2007-01-15, 04:28 PM
Any gaming store? Over here even my local library (in a small town in the capital city area) gets copies.

Sadly, most of the gaming stores I know have either closed, switched entirely to selling comics or just don't carry it. My local library doesn't even have a copy of Machiavelli let alone a subscription to Dragon. I know, I'm not exactly upselling the city that never sleeps here... still any suggestions? Please?

Zherog
2007-01-15, 05:27 PM
Barnes and Noble? Borders? Waldenbooks? I've seen both magazines on the racks in those stores before.

Fax Celestis
2007-01-15, 05:27 PM
Yeah. You'd be surprised what major book retailers carry.

Shhalahr Windrider
2007-01-15, 05:47 PM
As you can see under my Avatar, I'm from Wisconsin. As such, I don't know about local gaming stores in New York. However, I can point out a few other options.

The publisher, Paizo (http://paizo.com/dragon), will let you order issues online. You can even purchase PDF versions of most back issues if you are interested.

If you are unable or unwilling to make an online transaction, I've always found Dragon to be available at the Waldenbooks store in my area. I assume Borders would also stock them, as they own Waldenbooks. I figure there should be one or more of those stores in or around NYC.

On a further note: As a long-time subscriber, I highly recommend the magazine. It's full of interesting articles. Not every issue will be relevant to your personal games, but if you like trying new material out, there are few better sources. Heck, in some cases the magazine is a preview some rules, as there is plenty of material in the regular hardcover WotC books that appeared in Dragon first. Underwater combat (absent from the 3.0 DMG) and Vehicle rules (also available in Arms and Equipment Guide) are the two that primarily spring to my mind.

Fhaolan
2007-01-15, 05:54 PM
I've found Borders and Waldenbooks rather spotty in their carrying of Dragon. Sometimes they have it, sometimes they don't. Sometimes it's over with the graphic novels, Sci-Fi/Fantasy, and RPG shelves, sometimes those three groups aren't all in a nice bunch and Dragon is over with the magazines.

All in all, I think you might be better getting a single issue directly from Paizo, using the link Shhalahr suggests.

purple gelatinous cube o' Doom
2007-01-15, 05:57 PM
personally, I'd go with Dragon over Dungeon. I think it's a much better magazine.

Zherog
2007-01-15, 06:02 PM
The publisher, Paizo (http://paizo.com/dragon), will let you order issues online. You can even purchase PDF versions of most back issues if you are interested.

Paizo only sells PDFs when all the print copies have sold out. This is a result of a stipulation in their contract with WotC.

Ravenscroft
2007-01-16, 04:22 AM
For telephone orders outside of New York City, call our 800 number:
1-800-225-4344
In New York City, call our New York City store:
The Compleat Strategist New York City Location
11 East 33rd Street (between Madison and Fifth Avenue)
New York, NY 10016
212-685-3880
Hours: Monday-Wednesday - 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Friday-Saturday - 10:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m.
Thursday - 10:30 a.m. - 9:00 p.m.
Sunday - Closed

http://www.thecompleatstrategist.com/index.asp

Shhalahr Windrider
2007-01-17, 02:16 PM
Wow, finally some NYC-specific advice!

Anyway, I just want to throw out one last comment. Every issue of Dragon has a theme. Generally, about half the articles in an issue relate to that theme. For example, every June, the theme is Dragons (this being related to the fact that June represents the anniversary issue for the publication). In a June issue, many of the articles are in some way related to Dragons. They present new Dragons, tell you how to play Dragons, introduce Dragon-related spells, etc.

I bring this up because in the last few months, each issue has been from about to 80% thematic content rather than the usual 50%. I'm hoping this won't be a lasting trend, since any given issue's usefulness to me depends how likely I am to utilize that theme. At the 50% mark, there's enough generic material to make any issue worthwhile.

And I want to couple the above with a more specific example. I just recieved the February issue (#352) in the mail yesterday. The theme for this issue was building a campaign setting off some book called Perdido Street Station. As I had never even heard of this book, I was (and currently remain) less than enthused with the issue. Although the new races and monsters are certainly adaptable to other campaign worlds, I don't feel any particular desire to fully explore them because of this link.

I tell you this because if, like me, you have no idea what this Perdido Street book is about, you may find the February issue lacking. I just don't want it to sour you on the entire publication. As it is, the February issue doesn't arrive on newsstands for another couple of weeks. If you go out and get your test issue now, you won't have to worry. Then again, if you're a big fan of Perdido Street Station, you may want to wait until it hits the stands and get that issue specifically.

And just in case you're curious, the current January issue was themed towards a planar link between different D&D cosmologies and campaign settings. If you're interested in that, go for that issue as well.