KOBOLD QUARTERLY
Shortly after finding out that Wizards of the Coast had an open call for their magazine, I started looking at other avenues for publication. Kobold Quarterly was the first 'zine that I came across in my search and they were also soliciting writers. Designing content for 4th edition was a pretty straightforward process. The game was built in a way that really funneled design, so when you knew what category your new content would align with it was easy to see the boundaries available. For some, this appeared as an unhealthy uniformity, but I quite enjoyed the game. I viewed the published elements as tools, rather than as the game itself, so my style of play did not dramatically change as the groups I was DMing transitioned into the new system.
The content that I pitched, both to Kobold Quarterly and others, had that tool-oriented perspective in mind. I was focusing on creating content that expanded upon options and enabled new experiences. It was a lot of fun. Some of the ideas that remained in my notes after the public playtest of D&D Next was announced have provided great fuel for other content I have made. Sometimes it is simply inspiration, because the approach of 5th edition in some areas contrasts sharply with the 4e perspective. Other times the concepts actually have a better or more nuanced expression in the new ruleset.
I still have printed copies of these issues. It continues to be a source of personal inspiration to pull them out and flip through stuff that I created that others were willing to pay for a publish.
