Dragon (magazine)

Dragon, first issue 1976, is one of the two official magazines for source material for the Dungeons & Dragons role-playing game.

In 1975, TSR began publishing The Strategic Review. At the time, roleplaying games were still seen as a sub-genre of the wargaming industry, and the magazine was designed not only to support Dungeons & Dragons and TSR's other games, but also to cover wargaming in general. In short order, however, the popularity and growth of Dungeons & Dragons made it clear that the game had not only separated itself from its wargaming origins, but had launched an entirely new industry unto itself. The following year, after only seven issues, TSR cancelled The Strategic Review and replaced it with The Dragon which later became Dragon Magazine and then Dragon. Although Dragon Magazine was originally designed to support the roleplaying industry in general, it has always been primarily a house organ for TSR's (or more recently Wizards of the Coast's) role-playing games with a particular focus on D&D.

Most of the magazine's articles provide supplementary material for the game including new prestige classes, races, monsters and many other subjects that can be used to enhance a Dungeons & Dragons game. Other articles will provide tips and suggestions for players and DMs. It also sometimes discusses meta-gaming issues, such as getting along with fellow players. The magazine also currently features four comics; Nodwick, Dork Tower, Zogonia and The Order of the Stick. Previous popular gamer-oriented comic strips include Wormy, Yamara and Snarfquest A regular feature of Dragon has been its "Ecology of ..." articles, in which a D&D monster gets a tongue-in-cheek scientific treatment, explaining how they find food, reproduce, and so forth.

Many of the gaming world's most famous writers, game designers and artists have published work in the magazine.

In 2002, Paizo Publishing acquired the rights to publish Dragon under license from Wizards of the Coast.

Dungeon is a sister magazine which publishes pre-written playtested adventures to be used in a D&D game.

Awards

 * 1986: Origins Award for Best Professional Roleplaying Magazine of 1985
 * 1990: Origins Award for Best Professional Adventure Gaming Magazine of 1989
 * 1994: Origins Award for Best Professional Gaming Magazine of 1993
 * 1995: Origins Awards for Best Professional Gaming Magazine of 1994, Origins Adventure Gaming Hall of Fame
 * 2004: Origins Award for Best Game Related Periodical 2003