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View Full Version : Choosing the subscription Replacement



Gralamin
2007-04-19, 09:19 PM
I have 4 months of Dragon and Dungeon left in my subscription. Because of that, I'll show you (The one without the subscription Obviously.) the exact details of what we may choose (I'm personally Leaning towards Pathfinder right now):

{table]Pathfinder[br]Ships in August|4 volumes with free shipping, a $99.96 retail value—plus you get a free PDF of each edition (a $55.96 value)! Subscribers would pay $75.96 to get this many volumes.
[Checkbox]|Start my month-to-month subscription to Pathfinder after these volumes so I don't miss a single adventure
Dragon and Dungeon Back Issues[br]Choose issues in September|10 select back issues (your remaining issues after final issues ship). A $80.00 value, plus free shipping.
Paizo.com Store Credit[br]Granted in September|$45.00 (a 20% bonus), useable for anything in the Paizo.com store, excluding subscriptions.
Refund[br]Checks mailed in October|$37.50 (your balance after final issues ship)[/table]

What is the Better Deal? What would you do? If you choose Back Issues, please Tell me Which ones.

Fat Daddy
2007-04-19, 09:30 PM
I chose the four(4) isssues of Pathfinder. It sounds as though it will be what the Adventure Paths currently are. I did not check the 'automatically continue subscription' box as I will need to see the "free" issues before I decide that.

EDIT: Additional comments deleted and moved to the rant (http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?t=41464) about the cancellation of the magazines to avoid de-railing Gralamin's poll.

Jack Mann
2007-04-19, 10:01 PM
Well, hell. I was even thinking of getting a subscription to Dragon and Dungeon, too.

CASTLEMIKE
2007-04-19, 10:03 PM
Thanks for the post I wasn't aware of the subscription cancelation in September. Did a quick search and I'd suggest getting the Pathfinder issues. The +20% Store Credit is nice for Paizo specific items since you can usually get a better price at Amazon in the 37% range on a lot of items.

Looks like the best value for the money.

Looks like there are Two adventure paths in the first Six Issues and the PDFs are a nice touch. New adventures start in Issue Seven. At $19.95 an issue they probably won't be flying off the shelves (particularly with PDF copies sure to show up floating around the internet) so they might actually be valuable in a decade or two plus the first few issues should be pretty good trying to drum up subscriptions and interest.

It looks like you got a Two for One Offer so I'm curious what I'll be offered since my Dungeon subscription stops at 161 which will leave 11 issues owed vice your 8 Pretty good deal at Six which I'll take and not so great at Five probably worth a call to customer service to see if they would sweeten the deal to Six issues vice a refund and finish the adventure paths.

The Dungeon Deal could be good depending on how many issues you have and how far back they go. One option could be to use it to get the Shackled Path/Chain Adventure series if you don't already have it. Look up Shackled Path or Chain at Paizon and you should be able to find all the issues.

Dungeon #92 Mostly for a High level 4 level 20 PCs as a gateway to Epic play which can be toned down to levels 16-19 and The Shadar Pool (Which a DM could tone down to Legendary Level 11+ level usage.

Dungeon #93 for The Storm Lord's Keep.

Loved Dungeon #107 The Test of the Smoking Eye for Good and Evil Planar Flavor and the Template which had so many possibilities for a DM in a campaign.

Dungeon #110 I thought Buzz in the Bridge was a Great First or Second Level single evening or side adventure.

Dungeon #114 Mad God's Key was interesting and could be placed in most campaigns.

Dungeon #117 Fallen Angel I like the plot basis and twist in Sharn not quite as interesting in another locale because of the nature of Sharn and the plot twist but could be used with a Minor Cult trying to ressurect their God..........

Dungeon #120 had the Lost Temple of Demogorgon.

As posted below Dragon #315 was pretty nice.

Brue
2007-04-20, 08:16 AM
Yeah, lucky me, I finally after many months of considering it signed up for a 1 year subscription to both dragon and dungeon about 3 weeks ago. Haven't even got my first issue in the mail and then I find out about this. <sigh>:smallfrown:

Oh well, I'm thinking of getting a bunch of back issues myself. If not, I'd go the pathfinder route.

Shhalahr Windrider
2007-04-20, 03:42 PM
Depends on what your priorities are, really.

The starting adventure path in Pathfinder is at least six issues, maybe more. If, like me, you tend to adopt completist attitudes to such series or are just afraid you might like the start so much that, in just this one case, you'll feel the need to finish the series, you may feel obligated to continue buying Pathfinder until the completion of the first path. Personally, I cannot afford such an option, as a subscription to Pathfinder costs three times a subscription to both Dragon and [i] Dungeon.

Since you are open to back issues, I assume that you are definitely not in my boat where that is concerned. I first subscribed to Dragon around issue #252. As a result, I am only missing issues from the days of second edition and earlier. Such issues would not be particularly useful to me, now that I play third edition. Indeed, I'm not sure if it is even an option to pick second edition issues. But to answer your question, I would need to know how far back your collection extends.

Between the remaining two, I'd go for store credit. For all intents and purposes, I have already spent the money that would become the refund. Might as well get a 20% value increase out of it.

I did not answer the poll, as it is possible that you may find Pathfinder or the back issues to be better for your situation. I cannot be sure of that without answers to the questions I raised above. But, as for me, I'm going with the store credit.

EDIT: I know I don't get the credit until September, but I'm already planning on spending it by finally getting On the Origin of PCs. And I might as well toss in Start of Darkness while I'm at it.

Gralamin
2007-04-20, 10:55 PM
Depends on what your priorities are, really.
If I knew that I wouldn't post this :smalltongue:


The starting adventure path in Pathfinder is at least six issues, maybe more. If, like me, you tend to adopt completist attitudes to such series or are just afraid you might like the start so much that, in just this one case, you'll feel the need to finish the series, you may feel obligated to continue buying Pathfinder until the completion of the first path. Personally, I cannot afford such an option, as a subscription to Pathfinder costs three times a subscription to both Dragon and [i] Dungeon.
I found that a bit odd, and I emailed paizo about it. This is my response.

I have two questions about Pathfinder:
1 I notice it is the same size as Dragon and Dungeon but costs more. Am I right in assuming this means its hardcover and has few advertisements?

No and Yes...It's a soft-cover but much better paper stock than the magazine (Think soft-cover book) and there will be only a few paizo ads in each book.


Since you are open to back issues, I assume that you are definitely not in my boat where that is concerned. I first subscribed to Dragon around issue #252. As a result, I am only missing issues from the days of second edition and earlier. Such issues would not be particularly useful to me, now that I play third edition. Indeed, I'm not sure if it is even an option to pick second edition issues. But to answer your question, I would need to know how far back your collection extends.
I am a completest, however I don't see why I shouldn't just wait for the campaign path hardcovers to come out and grab them from that (I'd only get about 1.5 campaign paths and that wouldn't help me...)
My collection is very small. I have very few before I bought the subscription (January is the month they received it, and missing the Feburary send day (stupid mail) I have march first.)


Between the remaining two, I'd go for store credit. For all intents and purposes, I have already spent the money that would become the refund. Might as well get a 20% value increase out of it.
I agree with this.


I did not answer the poll, as it is possible that you may find Pathfinder or the back issues to be better for your situation. I cannot be sure of that without answers to the questions I raised above. But, as for me, I'm going with the store credit.

Fair enough I say.


EDIT: I know I don't get the credit until September, but I'm already planning on spending it by finally getting On the Origin of PCs. And I might as well toss in Start of Darkness while I'm at it.

Good choices.

Shhalahr Windrider
2007-04-20, 11:36 PM
My collection is very small. I have very few before I bought the subscription (January is the month they received it, and missing the Feburary send day (stupid mail) I have march first.)
So you first subscribed this year? Crappy timing, I must say.

Well, in that case, there are a lot of good Dragon issues. The ones that stick out most in my mind though, are the issues with the "Campaign Classics" content. Dragon #315 introduced the series, but I really loved #319, which focused on Dark Sun. Since then, there have been several more issues that were along the same vein as 315—large articles devoting a few pages each to particular settings. I think there may have been another issue that was more or less devoted to a classic setting with which I was unfamiliar, but I don't recall the details.

Anyway, two of the three 3rd edition Dungeon magazine issues I own are numbers 110 and 111, which I bought solely because they supported the Dark Sun content of Dragon #319. #110 was sort of the Dark Sun Dungeon Master's Guide, while #111 simply completed the Dark Sun Monster Compendium started in #110.

I also find myself going back to Dragon #325 for some of the magic-related feats mentioned inside with some regularity.


Good choices.
Glad to hear that.