Post/Author/DateTime	Post
#1 ravinray Mar 12, 2008 7:17:15	Less than a month to go, and April is up. In the past we've had silly monsters for April Fool's (like that pink beholder), and more recently, what some consider whimsical (modrons—but I love 'em). You think WotC should slip in some levity and light articles to take a break from the serious stuff, or should it devote all its energy to 4E and the DDI?
#2 WolfStar76 Mar 12, 2008 7:45:21	My favorite April Fools article was the "Ecology of the Adventurer" article.
#3 aberzanzorax Mar 12, 2008 9:18:50	I think tradition pretty well demands it. However, part of the apparent philosophy of WotC is to remake the game, without sacred cows. My hope would be that it is both whimsical and useful (like the modrons). I actually (despite my usual pessimism about the emags) expect them to do a good job with this. They've done it on their website for years, and the magazine really only has two main theme issues: April and October. It would be hard for them to miss that. I expect that we'll get at least one article in Dragon of substantive quality.
#4 Nived Mar 12, 2008 10:42:52	My favorite Dragon April Fools was the Commoner Flaws a few years back. My group still jokes about that, chicken infested, delicious, pig bond "You have a pig, good for you." Good times. My favorite WotC site April Fools was probably the announcement of the My Little Pony RPG after they were aquired by Hasbro. That or the time they filtered the messageboard so everyone was talking in Mr. T speech, all "You"s were changed to "Foo", "Don't" was changed to "pity" etc. I would be surprised if wizards didn't have something planned for months for this pre-4e april fools. I suspect announcement of 5th edition,
#5 septembervirgin Mar 12, 2008 11:00:53	Fourth edition is a malicious and hopefully felonious April Fool's joke.
#6 theoinodaemon Mar 12, 2008 17:43:24	I think tradition pretty well demands it. However, part of the apparent philosophy of WotC is to remake the game, without sacred cows. My hope would be that it is both whimsical and useful (like the modrons). I actually (despite my usual pessimism about the emags) expect them to do a good job with this. They've done it on their website for years, and the magazine really only has two main theme issues: April and October. It would be hard for them to miss that. I expect that we'll get at least one article in Dragon of substantive quality. We didn't really get a Halloween issue (although I suppose thats more a matter of opinion), we got one article on the Ecology of the Death Knight. And June is traditionally devoted to Dragons.
#7 eldritch_lord Mar 12, 2008 20:46:43	And June is traditionally devoted to Dragons. It makes sense that 4e would come out in June, then. Which month is traditionally devoted to Dungeons? Gotta have those underground monsters and class features! ;)
#8 john_paul_stoddard Mar 12, 2008 21:04:38	Less than a month to go, and April is up. In the past we've had silly monsters for April Fool's (like that pink beholder), and more recently, what some consider whimsical (modrons—but I love 'em). You think WotC should slip in some levity and light articles to take a break from the serious stuff, or should it devote all its energy to 4E and the DDI? With thier recent track records they should sneek in anything... A Map A Picture A PDF
#9 limousine_liberal_dup Mar 12, 2008 22:44:31	I agree, if they really want to fool people, they should make it chock full o' awesome content. That's the last thing anyone expects to see at this point...
#10 eldritch_lord Mar 13, 2008 9:27:27	I agree, if they really want to fool people, they should make it chock full o' awesome content. That's the last thing anyone expects to see at this point... "So did you check out the DDI this morning?" "I haven't checked for months; it's gone too far downhill." "You have to see it! It's amazing! The adventure is cool, they have some old Dragon stuff up, and there are comics!" "..." "No, really! I mean it! They went all-out this time!" "...yeah. Ha ha. April Fool's, right?" "Really! Go see for yourself!" "I'm not falling for that one. 'Cool stuff on DDI' my foot...." ;)
#11 skullossus Mar 14, 2008 12:39:21	Comedy never gets enough credit. They almost never are nominated for best picture at the Oscars even though they say comedy's harder than drama. People, especially teenagers and young adults, push away from things that are less real and silly because they associate them with childishness (the opposite of where they're trying to head). D&D often takes itself very seriously and very realistically so as to not ruin the fantasy, and so it's very nice to take a break from that from time to time. That being said, I was always a little disappointed with the April Fool's issues when I had a subscription. It was like having a subscription to Mad Magazine and one month you got the "all serious politics" issue. I felt that having an enitre month where everything had to be funny was a little too much. Comedy is hard and a lot more subjective. So to try to find a goofy example of each regular article that actually tickles a funny bone is hard enough, let alone one that is funny but also has something to say or contains something that can be practical as well. I haven't read every April Fool's issue but I don't remember comedy being treated the way horror was for October. I don't remember seeing an article on how to manage comedy at your table, both in and out of game. Or NPC characters that could be genuinely introduced as comic relief into adventures of all types. Or articles about how to roleplay gnomes, gully dwarves, kender or other silly peopless. Or tables for wild surges/curses/etc that included effects that could be absurd. Suggestions for villains who's motivation is humour, albeit sick and twisted. Maybe if there had been more practicality to the articles, instead of solely going for the gag, I would have been able to appreciate it more. It think it would be nice to just have articles with a funny tone, or that deal with comedy, sprinkled in whenever they get a strong submission. But that's just my 3 cents.
#12 monkeypaladin Mar 14, 2008 13:34:42	I remember the article where they had rules for food dropped by the miniatures. They had stats for gummy bears, the slice of pizza, droplets of soda, etc. It was pretty funny. Honestly based on the quality of the current online content, I don't think they could do anything very humorous. I think the old articles that Wizards of the Coast had on the site for free were probably better than what they have now for that matter. Remember when there were a bunch of adventures there? I could download and print one to use for a session, it was really convenient. I still paid for books and minis so it's not like WotC didn't make money off of me.
#13 Fallensbane Mar 14, 2008 16:27:57	Hmm Candy or Jello Dragon would make me happy hehe :D
#14 cinderember Mar 14, 2008 21:41:02	Yes, we need an April Fools edition, and a halloween edition. I doubt we'll get cool stuff like that anymore though. I'm bummed out. First we lose our paper magazines, and then Gary dies. Its like the D&D apocolipse or something. These are bad omens for 4th ed, man, really bad omens. I am going to go game under a table or something...
#15 cinderember Mar 14, 2008 21:42:38	Hmm Candy or Jello Dragon would make me happy hehe :D My favorite april fool's monster was quite a while back: the Pink Dragon. His breath weapon was soap bubbles! Or, and there was a Jell-O cube in that one too.
#16 Kensan_Oni Mar 14, 2008 22:16:09	I am fully expecting a 4E MLP RPG!
#17 stormonu Mar 14, 2008 23:02:52	I want a GamerZero "Bard on the Run" edition. Y'know. Filking songs to the tune of D&D.
#18 skullossus Mar 15, 2008 12:24:47	I remember the article where they had rules for food dropped by the miniatures. They had stats for gummy bears, the slice of pizza, droplets of soda, etc. It was pretty funny. That was actually one of the articles I illustrated. It was a totally fun job!
#19 valdrax Mar 16, 2008 17:44:48	If they don't, then Dragon magazine is truly dead. The April Fool's issues are usually the only issues that people still talk about content from, 5 years later.
#20 monkeypaladin Mar 16, 2008 18:48:14	That was actually one of the articles I illustrated. It was a totally fun job! Sweet. You're a good cartoonist; I know some very talented artists but not a lot of guys that could make pizza and nacho monsters like that.
#21 grimshofhighsorcery Mar 16, 2008 22:49:19	"So did you check out the DDI this morning?" "I haven't checked for months; it's gone too far downhill." "You have to see it! It's amazing! The adventure is cool, they have some old Dragon stuff up, and there are comics!" "..." "No, really! I mean it! They went all-out this time!" "...yeah. Ha ha. April Fool's, right?" "Really! Go see for yourself!" "I'm not falling for that one. 'Cool stuff on DDI' my foot...." ;) ahaha my thoughts exactly...there is no need for an April Fool's issue, the DDI is a joke enough!
#22 badjwlr Mar 25, 2008 10:58:21	Why not? The joke's been on those of us who been supporting the magazine since the '70s, right? After all, isn't WOC running the PRINT ads insulting anyone who plays on a computer for the last couple years? Now we've got AD&D (that's Alleged D&D) coming out in a couple months that won't be complete without access to their website. Please. The argument about the April Fool's issue is beating a dead horse. This is a game, an escape from the tedium of reality and humor is part of that. I'd rather see an annual issue of funny stuff than the endless parade of useless "prestige" and hair-splitting sub-classes we've been forced to endure since the Ars Magica boys took over.
#23 dalarond Mar 27, 2008 10:27:55	the april fools issues were fun to pass around. But lugging a desktop and monitor doesn't have the same charm. Especially when a lot of what's being promised is not compatible for the Macintosh.
#24 theoinodaemon Mar 28, 2008 16:07:44	I agree, if they really want to fool people, they should make it chock full o' awesome content. That's the last thing anyone expects to see at this point... :heehee
#25 sciborg3 Mar 28, 2008 17:23:34	I agree, if they really want to fool people, they should make it chock full o' awesome content. That's the last thing anyone expects to see at this point... QF(riggin)T mate
#26 hamakto Mar 29, 2008 10:09:27	Less than a month to go, and April is up. In the past we've had silly monsters for April Fool's (like that pink beholder), and more recently, what some consider whimsical (modrons—but I love 'em). You think WotC should slip in some levity and light articles to take a break from the serious stuff, or should it devote all its energy to 4E and the DDI? *chuckles* We have had an April Fools edition of Dragon since Paizo was fired from doing it. But that is my negativty in seein a product that I loved get destroyed.
#27 Scars_Unseen Mar 29, 2008 12:46:07	Maybe they will give us a 4e stat block for the Sacred Cow.
#28 sciborg3 Mar 29, 2008 14:53:15	Well there are the sacred cows you can kill easily enough and the ones you kill but pretend to keep alive while butchering everything under their skin. Then there's the illusionist spell that allows you mask anything you kill as supposedly being a sacred cow so people shouldn't miss it no matter how much its absence is a detriment to the game. Hmmm, this could take up a whole issue......