Dragonfire Magazine #2 by Andrew Babcock

Game Review

Seth Stauffer

Serialized magazines aren’t dead! One of the best aspects of tabletop gaming is the fans, the gamers themselves. People have been creating content for their favourite TTRPGs for decades, and there is no sign of this changing. Dragonfire Magazine from Lunitar Productions is back with a second issue, offering a free publication full of gaming content. There is more of the same from the inaugural publication and a new feature. 

The second issue begins with a fun fantasy story that should be continued in a third installment. While reading the fiction, I wondered if it might become a larger tale published separately. I enjoyed following the characters in what felt like a throwback to an older style of sword & sorcery tale. 

The second issue includes two one-shots best suited for Dungeons & Dragons and Call of Cthulhu. The fantasy module is very short—only three pages! The CoC is longer (over 20 pages) and relatively comprehensive, offering many options for Keepers and supplemental information. Other components left me feeling informed—many conventions listed, TTRPG news, and some system-agnostic content. Once again, there is a well-organized variety of articles for readers.

Moreover, a new feature was added, inviting readers to write a backstory for a character illustration. Exercises such as asking people to caption or write a brief story for an image can be fun. I hope people submit responses for this, as it’s a good way to engage readers.

I found myself asking where the art comes from. Only one person is responsible for virtually everything; most art has no attribution. Given the questions and controversy generated by AI content, it would be helpful if this magazine clarified whether Lunitar Productions used AI content.

The magazine’s overall quality is consistent with the first. There’s art, gameable content, and a new feature. All articles are almost entirely from the magazine’s creator, so there aren’t any contributions besides the art, which may be original. Dragonefire maintains a diverse collection of features driven by a sole author. Anyone who enjoyed the first issue will be pleased with this follow-up from Lunitar Productions.