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Interview with Skip Williams (co-author of 3E D&D)

Started by random-wizard, April 01, 2013, 09:27:07 AM

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random-wizard

April 01, 2013, 09:27:07 AM
Here is another great interview with a TSR alumni.
Skip Williams answers questions about his first work for TSR, M2 Vegeance of Alphaks, the 2E player's Options: Combat and Tactics supplement, comparison of 2E, 3E, 4E, life on the farm, and more.

http://randomwizard.blogspot.com/2013/03/skip-williams-interview.html

Bloody Stupid Johnson

#1
April 01, 2013, 06:24:02 PM
Interesting stuff as usual.

So Combat & Tactics would have taken about a month to write (for him and the coauthor) ? (1 week per 32 pages, /2 authors)- scary given its influence on 3Es combat system. Even though they may have borrowed a few bits from Allston's Complete Fighter.

And he's working on the Grande Temple of Jing ??!

random-wizard

#2
April 02, 2013, 04:54:41 PM
Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;642098Interesting stuff as usual.

So Combat & Tactics would have taken about a month to write (for him and the coauthor) ? (1 week per 32 pages, /2 authors)!

That particular tidbit from the interview really stood out to me. That timeframe seems so short for making a product. And note, that he infers that every author was under that timeframe (1 week per 32 pages).

Bloody Stupid Johnson

#3
April 02, 2013, 06:53:32 PM
yeah...I would have hoped rules supplements would get more time allocated than, say, adventures. So same here.

The other thing that stood out to me, was his discussion of Innovations That Didn't Get Into 3rd. I'd always assumed he'd have been the one keeping the 3E design team grounded in past editions, which doesn't seem so much the case from this interview. He was always so conservative in Sage Advice.

ggroy

#4
April 02, 2013, 08:46:48 PM
Wonder how much of the stuff in Combat & Tactics was actually playtested in the first place.

From the interview, it sounded like it was a total rush job.

Bloody Stupid Johnson

#5
April 02, 2013, 11:41:53 PM
Quote from: ggroy;642373Wonder how much of the stuff in Combat & Tactics was actually playtested in the first place.

From the interview, it sounded like it was a total rush job.

Here you go...
Quote from: SkipWe quickly developed a shopping list of fancy things we wanted to make available (everything from a critical hit system to rules for cannons and siege engines) and .set to work. We did considerable playtesting for all the combat rules, involving as many of our co-workers as we could bring to the gaming table. Rich or I (or sometimes our editor, Thomas Reid) would cobble together a battle scenario and we'd fight it out to the bitter end at least once.

:)

Bobloblah

#6
April 02, 2013, 11:44:39 PM
Yeah, I got the impression from that (and everything else I'd heard about that period) that it received way more testing than other products.
Best,
Bobloblah

Asking questions about the fictional game space and receiving feedback that directly guides the flow of play IS the game. - Exploderwizard

Piestrio

#7
April 02, 2013, 11:56:10 PM
Quote from: Bobloblah;642410Yeah, I got the impression from that (and everything else I'd heard about that period) that it received way more testing than other products.

Which is REALLY surprising considering the final results.

Maybe Lorraine Williams' "no playtesting" rule was a good thing after all ;)
Disclaimer: I attach no moral weight to the way you choose to pretend to be an elf.

Currently running: The Great Pendragon Campaign & DC Adventures - Timberline
Currently Playing: AD&D

ggroy

#8
April 03, 2013, 08:36:10 AM Last Edit: April 03, 2013, 08:47:22 AM by ggroy
QuoteWe quickly developed a shopping list of fancy things we wanted to make available (everything from a critical hit system to rules for cannons and siege engines) and .set to work. We did considerable playtesting for all the combat rules, involving as many of our co-workers as we could bring to the gaming table. Rich or I (or sometimes our editor, Thomas Reid) would cobble together a battle scenario and we'd fight it out to the bitter end at least once.

This statement isn't quantified precisely.  Hopefully it was with more than one or two other players, and more than two game sessions.

ggroy

#9
April 03, 2013, 08:49:00 AM
QuoteWe quickly developed a shopping list of fancy things we wanted to make available (everything from a critical hit system to rules for cannons and siege engines) and .set to work. We did considerable playtesting for all the combat rules, involving as many of our co-workers as we could bring to the gaming table. Rich or I (or sometimes our editor, Thomas Reid) would cobble together a battle scenario and we'd fight it out to the bitter end at least once.

These statements are not quantified precisely.

Hopefully it was with more than one or two other players, and more than two game sessions.

ggroy

#10
April 03, 2013, 08:58:37 AM
Quote from: Bloody Stupid Johnson;642098So Combat & Tactics would have taken about a month to write (for him and the coauthor) ? (1 week per 32 pages, /2 authors)- scary given its influence on 3Es combat system.

More generally, it's amazing how much stuff is inherited and/or grandfathered in regardless of quality or utility.

Bobloblah

#11
April 03, 2013, 04:37:14 PM
Quote from: ggroy;642471Hopefully it was with more than one or two other players, and more than two game sessions.
Even if it was, that's still more playtesting than the rest of the AD&D 2nd line collectively received.
Best,
Bobloblah

Asking questions about the fictional game space and receiving feedback that directly guides the flow of play IS the game. - Exploderwizard

ggroy

#12
April 03, 2013, 04:38:43 PM
Quote from: Bobloblah;642632Even if it was, that's still more playtesting than the rest of the AD&D 2nd line collectively received.

Are you saying most of 2E AD&D had very little or no playtesting at all?

Bobloblah

#13
April 03, 2013, 04:42:30 PM
Quote from: ggroy;642633Are you saying most of 2E AD&D had very little or no playtesting at all?
Actually, I said that to be humourous. I guess that didn't exactly pan out.

As for playtesting, I've always heard that AD&D 2nd had very, very little, primarily because Lorraine forbade playing on company time; baffling for a game company, but there you are.
Best,
Bobloblah

Asking questions about the fictional game space and receiving feedback that directly guides the flow of play IS the game. - Exploderwizard

random-wizard

#14
April 03, 2013, 06:10:45 PM
Quote from: Bobloblah;642634Actually, I said that to be humourous. I guess that didn't exactly pan out.

As for playtesting, I've always heard that AD&D 2nd had very, very little, primarily because Lorraine forbade playing on company time; baffling for a game company, but there you are.

In the interview with Steve Winter, he talks a little bit about the development of 2E and playtesting.
http://randomwizard.blogspot.com/2013/01/steve-winter-interview.html
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