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Open Gaming Monthly #1 $5.21
Average Rating:4.4 / 5
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Open Gaming Monthly #1
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Open Gaming Monthly #1
Publisher: d20pfsrd Publishing
by Thomas C. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/11/2014 10:52:52

Very cool magazine. I’m not sure that it’s being published any longer as it looks like everything stopped as issue# 5. I had heard that they might move to a quarterly format which would be nice.

Anyway, some nice stuff here in Issue #1. Ordered print version. Nice glossy cover, full color interior. Articles are nice with excellent materials for GM’s (mini-adventures, drop in locations, new race ‘Briarborn’, fully statted monsters). Do like the BadWrongFun addition- haven’t seen home rules for d20 done before in-print, so this is a nice addition. Overall, a pleasant read.

Not cons, but what I’d like to see in future issues: a comic or two. Interviews with writers, developers and publishers. Reviews of other OGL pubs (splat books, modules, etc). Perhaps an online pub as well with audio podcasts and video interviews. Again, just ideas on what I think would be nice. Props to these guys for the awesome job they did in getting these 5 issues out! I know from personal experience how very difficult it is to pull this stuff together. Hopefully more to come.

Tom -Dead Goblin Games



Rating:
[4 of 5 Stars!]
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Open Gaming Monthly #1
Publisher: d20pfsrd Publishing
by VP401533 K. H. L. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 07/01/2013 05:13:34

Magazine content is very focused on OGL materials. It has really good articles, both informative and excellent add-ons to any campaign or world (e.g. Briarborn as new character class or NPC and Drake's Hollow as locale). It's fully colored, nice type-casting and formatting. I've yet to detect any bad editing. It also contains sufficient information on new materials and an adventure. What can I say? This is top-notch! A reason for me to continue buying (I actually went ahead to buy all current issues both PDF and print). This is definitely more nostalgia of the Dragon/Dungeon magazine (combined) than some other magazine hoping to emulate it.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Open Gaming Monthly #1
Publisher: d20pfsrd Publishing
by Nigel S. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 04/13/2013 03:07:41

I purchased the magazine looking for inspiration in a campaign I was GMing for and I was not disappointed. There are random paragraphs of treasures scattered throughout the magazine which are low value but extremely helpful and inspirational. Rules for folding boats,new snow and winter spells like animate snowman and ice ball. The new monsters are good and usable. The Goggling is frightening but first on my list to use,frost hag and glacial gaunt also will be used and there's more. An article on three henchmen is worth the purchase price alone and there's more. Highly recommended.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Open Gaming Monthly #1
Publisher: d20pfsrd Publishing
by William M. [Verified Purchaser]
Date Added: 03/11/2013 13:57:25

I am more than happy with the debut issue of OGM. The content is very useful and well laid out, and the art is nice overall ( I love the cover!). I will be picking up the next issue, and should the quality hold true many more after that!



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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Open Gaming Monthly #1
Publisher: d20pfsrd Publishing
by Michael T. [Featured Reviewer]
Date Added: 03/07/2013 07:22:04

The inaugural March issue of Open Gaming Monthly, presented by D20 PFSRD, has been released by Fat Goblin Games. Editor in chief Rick Hershey explained:

Earlier this year, I discussed with John L. Reyst about launching a d20pfsrd.com magazine to help support Open Gaming and the many publishers that work hard bringing fans 3rd party content. After many conversations and random brainstorming emails, we both had a solid idea of the type of magazine we wanted to produce. From there, it was up to me (with the help of Fat Goblin Games co-owner, Jason Stoffa) to start figuring out how we were going to actually pull this off. This first issue has truly been a labour of love – of art, good writing and publishing – by the team at Fat Goblin Games and all the contributors from d20pfsrd.com, the many publishers that donated time and content, the artists and freelancers who sent us material, and the fans who supported the magazine’s announcement on the gaming scene. I cannot say “thank you” enough for everyone’s encouragement and enthusiasm.

Open Gaming Monthly builds on the publications that have gone before, dividing its content into Features (new locations, races, and an interview with an industry insider), Characters (new equipment, spells, and archetypes), Design & DMing (new monsters, locations, and adventures), and Columns (Open Gaming Spotlight; The Good, the Bad, the Henchmen; and BadWrongFun).

The cover by artist McLean Kendree is a gorgeous blue-tinted battle between a flaming-haired demonic wolf-like humanoid and a lot of warriors in an arctic landscape. It's clear the warriors are losing the fight. There's a full-page spread of the picture on pages 4 and 5, but unfortunately it's cut up by the PDF into two separate pages, meaning you can't really get a good look at it.

After a roundup of news and events in the RPG and gaming geek industry, Nicole Lindross provides a recipe for Spinach Lasagna Rolls titled "Adventures in Dinner." It's written like a monster encounter, which is pretty funny, and it looks yummy too. Of course, Lindross is a highly accomplished game designer and her bio is surprisingly modest about her accomplishments. I'm not sure I would have put the recipe as the first feature in the magazine, but it's a welcome and different addition to the usual gaming fare.

A minor oversight: There's mention of Wolfgang Baur concluding Kobold Quarterly on page 11, but no recognition that he will be continuing a column dedicated to Pathfinder open content in Gygax Magazine.

Page 12 features an in-depth interview by Christina Stiles with the mastermind behind D20PFSRD.com, John Reyst. Throughout the magazine are Random Treasures, little blue boxes of magic items to reward readers randomly browsing through the magazine. They're not necessarily magical, but colorful additions to a campaign's random treasure tables.

Worlcraft features the land of Grigoria, complete with maps, deities, cities, and unique races. The picture of the new monster, the Gogling, is frightening, even if the name makes it sound cute. Arctic Arsenal is all about mundane and magical equipment for surviving in cold weather climates – appropriate, given the amount of snow dumped outside as I write this. Spring returns with the Briarborn, a plant race perfect for outdoor classes. Then we're back to winter again with cold weather monsters: the Frost Hag, the undead Glacial Gaunt, and will-o'-wisp variant Ice Wisp.

The discussion of existing open game content picks up with a discussion of intelligent folding boats. Author Landon Bellavia gets a second chance to improve upon his creations by fleshing out the details. The arctic creeps back in again with Winter Wonderland, a list of cold spells by Alex Riggs. That winter theme continues in Drake's Hollow, a frost-themed setting set in a caldera.

Actress and artist Jennifer Page is interviewed, accompanied by several large full color photos. This is followed by the NPC section of Aertar Frostfel the dwarf, his evil sister Ultana, and hound archon Maerlon. There's a short article of Nordic deities and accompanying archetypes for clerics, followed by spells to defeat frozen foes (with fire of course!). The mini-adventure, Ke'Aril's Hunt, is a non-arctic themed scenario for four player characters of 5th to 6th level. Knowledge Check focuses on skill challenges, followed by Nick Esposito's house rules in BadWrongFun. The magazine concludes with Tyler Beck, who explains how to optimize the Winter Witch prestige class, and PJ Grant, who discusses optimizing the Advanced Race Guide.

Overall this is a very impressive magazine for $2.99, with enough content drawn from Open Game sources to make it feel fresh, a professional layout, and beautiful artwork. It's a great start for a publication that's just getting started; here's hoping they can keep up this level of quality for future issues.



Rating:
[5 of 5 Stars!]
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