News — Dragon Magazine

Dragon #175: A look at the doldrums of the early 1990s Dragon...

Dragon Magazine Tom Baxa TSR

Today at Art of the Genre I’ll be taking a look at Dragon #175 from November 1991. Published by James M. Ward and edited by Roger E. Moore, this probably long forgotten issue isn’t a blockbuster but it does contain a few seeds that can help players and DMs of 2nd Edition AD&D.I certainly don’t remember it, as I was in my 2nd year of college at the time and probably well into my encore comic collecting phase during the Marvel and DC ‘gold rush’ of that period. That being said, it is nice to be able to go and...

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Dragon #285: A time-capsule of a time before 'the change'

Dragon Magazine Larry Elmore Wizards of the Coast

There is always a vast wealth of behind the scenes stuff going on in each and every Dragon Magazine.  Seriously, if you take a look at the inner workings of Dragon, much like layers of sedimentation on an archaeological dig, you’ll find a wealth of information about the industry as a whole. Dragon #285 is a perfect example of this.  Published by Wizards of the Coast in July of 2001, it is a time-capsule of a dying era of art in the RPG industry. Art Directed by Peter Whitley, this magazine shows just what art was becoming before the full...

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Dragon #108: Really not worth your time...

Dragon Magazine Larry Elmore Roger Raupp TSR

Dragon Magazine 108 truly fails to impress me on almost every level.  To me, this is an almost throw away issue, but nonetheless I’ll review it today for what little content inspires and also the lackluster artwork inside. Produced in April 1986, and unabashedly claiming to be an ‘April Fools’ on all those who don’t like April Fools this issue is truly a joke.  I mean nothing against Len Lakofka and his ‘Lemond’s Tiny Hut’ articles, but if you’ve got to lead with one, then you know the issue is in trouble.  Really, other than the Gamma World 3rd Edition...

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Dragon #101: Interesting for gaming history, not so much for content

Dragon Magazine Larry Elmore Roger Raupp TSR

Again, I bring you my weekly Dragon review, this time with number 101.  The issue in question is one of those magazines I actually owned first-hand as a teen, and so I know it rather well, even if it doesn’t resonate with me.First, let me go a bit into content, but it came out in September 1985 and had an editorial note from Gary Gygax that has some incredibly interesting things in it.  Gary speaks first about a D&D movie that would come from DDEC, the entertainment arm of TSR that he’d been spearheading in Hollywood for a couple of...

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Dragon #65: My very first 5 star rating... nuff said.

Dragon Magazine Jeff Easley Larry Elmore TSR

When you go back this far, back to September 1982, it is nearly impossible as a lifelong gamer not to review the entire magazine and just stick to the artwork.  In this case, I’m going to have to give some more detail on the issue, because it is absolutely too good to pass up. It begins with an incredible article tag on the front cover called ‘Fantasy Football’!  I kid you not, 1982 and someone at TSR had trademarked the name before it spilled from the lips of every beer swilling NFL fan or bored office staffer in America.  But...

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