My Top 10 Dragon Magazine Issues

Hi everyone!

Well, my Grandfather’s funeral has come & gone. It was okay: there were relatives I hadn’t seen in a while, the service was nice, and the luncheon afterwards had good food (Italians always cook the best). It’s gonna take me a while to get over his passing, but I’m sure I can pull through it!

Before my new blog goes up, I wanted to do one last post for this place. In recent weeks, I’ve been going through my collection of Dragon magazine. Dragon was a highly popular magazine, giving out bonus content for Dungeons & Dragons, which if you’ve ever meet me, you’ll know it’s one of my favorite geeky things on this planet. Some issues hold a significant place in my nerdy heart, and as a sendoff to this little corner of the internet, I wanted to show you what my top 10 Dragon Magazine issues are. Enjoy!

10) Dragon 359 (September 2007/The Last Issue)

It’s ironic that I’m starting this list with the very last physical release of the magazine. Starting a list with the ending is always strange, but this is me we’re talking about. Anyways, for a final issue this was great: There were some great top 10 lists, notes from some of the staff, great comics (Nodwick & Dork Tower are always a hoot), and great articles that only Dragon Magazine can provide. Yes the end was tragic, but the memories will always remain.

9) Dragon 323 (September 2004/Redesign)

By this stage of the game, DnD 3.5 had been out for about a year. The magazine had already converted from 3 to 3.5 (More on that below), and this caused a big stir in the RPG community. Many gamers enjoyed the changed, who liked the changes & alterations to the rules of the game, not to mention the new content put in. Other gamers, however, didn’t like what happened. They thought that it was too soon, and that it was more of a cheap cash-in than anything else.

For me, I liked the changes when it came to the magazine. It became a little more specialized, there was an order to where the articles were placed, and it felt more organized than it ever had (Up until that point, at least). There even seemed to be more polish within the articles, interviews, etc. I definitely had a lot of fun reading this issue, as the format within was used for quite a while (I’ll talk about that when we get to number 7).

8) Dragon 310/311/312 (August to October 2003/3.5 Issues)

Like I said above, 3.5 was a polarizing edition. People either liked it, or they hated it. I was one of those individuals that didn’t liked it. I thought it was way too soon, and it seemed too much like a quick cash grab. Even my Mom, who was a old-school player back in the day, thought that it was pushed out too quickly. However, I started warming up to 3.5 around these 3 issues, and it would be a year down the road when I started getting some 3.5 books.

Each of these issues focused on a specific group that was changed in the 3.5 system. 310 was about the martial classes (Barbarians & such), 311 dealt with the spellcasters (like Sorcerers & Wizards), and 312 was a fun issue that was filled to the brim with articles about evil characters, and what can make them a blast to play. You don’t need to read all of these issues to understand what 3.5 brought to the table, but if you do manage to read the three issues, you’ll get the big picture. If you ever been interested in 3.5, or if you’re doing a project on Dungeons & Dragons and need some research material, these issues are just what you’re looking for.

7) Dragon 339 (January 2006/Campaign Classics)

Although Issue 323 brought some big changes to Dragon, Issue 339 furthered those changes. Ironically, the magazine actually stayed the same for the most part. You’ve still got articles about races, prestige classes, feats, etc. What was changed was the end: when the magazine was first changed back in 2004, it made mini-articles about each of the original classes. With this issue, that aspect was condensed down to just 3 parts: Adventurer, Arcane, and Divine. On certain occasions, they would include Psionic as a fourth mini-article, but this was a rare occurrence.

Yeah that not a massive change, but it’s one that I seemed to like more than the earlier changes. Chances are if you’ve read & enjoyed the changes in 2004, you’ll like the ones here. 

6) Dragon 317 (March 2004/Exotic Heroes)

Compared to many of the issues of Dragon, this one was more player-centric than most. There’s races, magic, feats, and some South American monsters (I’ll leave that up to your imagination). Not only that, but there’s a pre Tome of Magic system for Truename Magic, which was much more easier to understand than the actual system for Truename Magic. Perhaps the most unique & intriguing articles in 317 was the Body of Knowledge article. It detailed 3 magic-using prestige classes, each one focused of a specific part of the body. There was the Osteomancer, who manipulated the skeletal structures of living creatures (Especially him/herself), the Flux Adept, who knew how to have absolute control over one’s glands & organs, and finally the Cerebrex, who’s knowledge of the Central Nervous System is nothing short of terrifying.

It’s articles like Body of Knowledge that kept me reading right until the end.

5) Dragon 336 (October 2005/Halloween Issue)

Dragon has always had themed issues. Sometimes it was set in the Forgotten Realms, other times it was like issues 310, 311, and 312, and then there were issues that were steeped in Halloween flavor. The reason why this one is my favorite of the Halloween is twofold: it was one of the first issues I read when I just got into College. I didn’t have any friends, but I knew that I had my fantasy world within the magazine. Secondly, the reason why this is the best Halloween issue is because the articles fit the theme perfectly. There was an article on hauntings, evil magic items, divining through sacrifices, and there was an articles one what is perhaps the most disgusting monster in Dungeons & Dragons history (The Spawn of Kyuss). I may not be a fan of horror, but this was certainly a pleasant exception.

4) Dragon 300 (October 2002/26th Years of Dungeons & Dragons)

The irony of Issue 300 being this high up the list is that I didn’t like most of it. Sure, there was an awesome article on dragons from other dimensions & magic items wielded by hags, but overall it was rather “Meh”. What makes this article special was a sealed off portion of the magazine, and had a big “Mature Content Inside” label on the front & back. The Book of Vile Darkness had just come out a month or two earlier (Can’t remember in all honesty), and it brought with it a firestorm of controversy. The sealed off portion of the magazine had more “Vile” content within, as well as Dragon’s sister magazine, Dungeon, which had an adventure based around content from the book. I remember my Mom was very serious about that portion of the magazine, and basically said that if I talked about it too much, it would be taken away from me. Luckily, in a rare moment of intelligence back then, I didn’t, and thus I didn’t have my magazine taken away.

3) Dragon 289 (November 2001/Oriental Adventures)

This issue was acquired just months after I started reading Dragon. The Oriental Adventures book had come out not long before hand, and Dragon decided to devote a magazine to all things Asian. There was an article on martial arts movies, fighting styles, asian-themed prestige classes, the Kaiju template (So you can create giant monsters to fight), and in a curious step away from the theme, an article devoted to magical mugs, cups, and bottles. I might be going through this description very fast, but there’s so much fun content within, I think it would be a shame to spoil it for you.

2) Dragon 349 (November 2006/The Horde)

Between Issues 336 & 349, this one I enjoy more. Don’t get me wrong: 336 is absolutely badass!

Like I said, the Halloween Issue was awesome. The articles were great, and the atmosphere the magazine produced was simply spine-tingling. With this one, it’s a little more personal. I acquired this issue just a couple months after my Uncle died (When I’ve talked about Ministry on this blog, you’ll remember that story), and out of all of the issues printed in 2006, issue 349 was the one I read the most. Out of all the articles in that issue, two articles immediately come to mind: the first was an article on bows & crossbows. There were plenty of feats that help ranged combat with said weapons, and there were a bevy of new bows & crossbows introduced for the player to use. The other was a continuation in the Demonomicon series, detailing the Obrynth (One of 3 demonic species in DnD) lord Dagon. Out of all the demon lords that have graced Dragon Magazine in these articles, it was Dagon that impressed me the most, not to mention chill me to the bone.

1) Dragon 284 (June 2001/25th Anniversary Issue)

Welp, this is it. My number 1 favorite issue of Dragon. I started this list with the last issue I ever got, and I’m ending this list with the first ever issue I got. I’ll never forget it: my Dad & I were at the grocery store that’s near where my family & I live. I was only into Dungeons & Dragons for at least 2 months, and I wanted to know more. I’m passing by the magazine isle, when I spotted this issue. On the front cover was a majestic silver dragon, which is one of the most iconic of the good dragons. His eyes were gazing out on the horizon, and for a split second the power in his look drew me over. I simply picked it up, brought it over to my Dad, asking if I could have, and that was that!

When compared to the DnD content of today (3.5/4/Pathfinder/5), the content in Issue 284 is incredibly archaic. 3rd edition had been out for only a couple months by this point, and by today’s standard the 3rd edition content is seen as incredibly broken. With that said, there’s still some fun things in the issue. Forgotten Realms was getting previewed, and as per usual, the anniversary issue was devoted to all things dragons. That’s more than enough to get me hooked onto a magazine.


Well, this is it. The last post on Simple Anime Reviews & Facts. I had a lot of fun writing for this little blog, and I hope you’ve enjoyed the ride with me. So, until the next time we meet (Hopefully on my new blog), stay Otaku!

Been A Little Bit

Hey Guys!

It's been a couple weeks since I've posted something about my new plans. I've been busy looking for a job (Close to getting one at my local Dunkin Donuts), helping out my mom with things around the house, and other things. Most of that has been taken care of, with the exception of getting that job, but that will be done soon.

Some Happy News: This past weekend was Connecticon 2014, and it was an absolute blast! Like Genericon 2014 earlier this year (Click "***" to read my review), it was also my 5th time coming to the convention. The panels were fun, the guests were fun, the con goers were cool to talk with, and the food is surprisingly good (I suggest that you go to the hotel's breakfast buffet at least once. It's on the pricy side, but it's of great quality in my opinion). A fantastic experience that I'm giving a 9 out of 10. Sunday was a little weak, but there were still a couple fun things I went too.

Some Dark News: If I've already talked about this, then I want to apologize for repeating myself. Late last year (December, if I remember correctly), my family discovered that my Grandfather on my Dad's side was diagnosed with Lung Cancer. He'd been a heavy smoker for quite some time, and he used to work on cars a lot, so there were the fumes from that. Well, on Sunday at 2:00 P.M., his hospice worker checked in on him, and basically said to my Grandmother that he would be lucky if he lasted for more than a week. So my Father's side of the family is very on edge at the moment, and coupled with the fact that my Uncle Mark is getting married this coming weekend, they're worried that he might die before hand. I was told of some more details, but I've forgotten them at the moment.

And that's what's been going in my life the past. Some fun things, some bad things, and then there were just.....things. I hope you've all had a mix of things going on, cause that makes life interesting. Until a future point in life, stay Otaku!

Update (7/14/2014, 1:00 P.M. Eastern Standard Time): Everyone, my Grandfather has passed away. Around 10-15 minutes ago, he died silently in his sleep/coma (Not sure which). His body will be cremated, and the service will be held the weekend after the upcoming wedding for my Uncle Mark. Because of this, I've decided to delay my new blog until the end of this month, or until the middle of August. It all depends on how I feel after the funeral service.