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Author Topic: WotC Musical Chairs  (Read 27095 times)

Benoist

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« on: May 15, 2010, 11:57:39 PM »
Mike Mearls is now the new Manager of D&D R&D, succeeding Andy Collins at the helm of the game's development.

James Wyatt becomes now D&D's Creative Manager.

Peregrin

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« Reply #1 on: May 16, 2010, 12:08:34 AM »
So business as usual over at WotC?
“In a way, the Lands of Dream are far more brutal than the worlds of most mainstream games. All of the games set there have a bittersweetness that I find much harder to take than the ridiculous adolescent posturing of so-called 'grittily realistic' games. So maybe one reason I like them as a setting is because they are far more like the real world: colourful, crazy, full of strange creatures and people, eternal and yet changing, deeply beautiful and sometimes profoundly bitter.”

thedungeondelver

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« Reply #2 on: May 16, 2010, 12:58:06 AM »
...neither of which event changes a single iota the fact that D&D is fucked up beyond all fixing.
THE DELVERS DUNGEON


Mcbobbo sums it up nicely.

Quote
Astrophysicists are reassessing Einsteinian relativity because the 28 billion l

Doom

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« Reply #3 on: May 16, 2010, 02:19:22 AM »
Quote from: thedungeondelver;380984
...neither of which event changes a single iota the fact that D&D is fucked up beyond all fixing.


No it's not...4e is beyond fixing, however.

Well, maybe it's beyond fixing. I've thought about sitting down, identifying all the design flaws, making some fixes, and seeing if the next campaign runs better with a stack of houserules to patch over everything.

But when I try to list even a couple flaws, I try to follow up with patches...and it just seems overwhelming. But that just means I'm not capable of fixing it, it's possible someone that really cares could devote a few months to coming up with a patchwork system that might work.

Still, it would be fixing 4e, not D&D.
(taken during hurricane winds)

A nice education blog.

Narf the Mouse

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« Reply #4 on: May 16, 2010, 02:53:51 AM »
Step 1) Rip out the Powers section.
Step 2) Insert a Stunt section.
Step 3) Profit!
The main problem with government is the difficulty of pressing charges against its directors.

Given a choice of two out of three M&Ms, the human brain subconsciously tries to justify the two M&Ms chosen as being superior to the M&M not chosen.

Lawbag

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« Reply #5 on: May 16, 2010, 02:59:31 AM »
Quote from: Doom;380993
No it's not...4e is beyond fixing, however.

Well, maybe it's beyond fixing. I've thought about sitting down, identifying all the design flaws, making some fixes, and seeing if the next campaign runs better with a stack of houserules to patch over everything.

But when I try to list even a couple flaws, I try to follow up with patches...and it just seems overwhelming. But that just means I'm not capable of fixing it, it's possible someone that really cares could devote a few months to coming up with a patchwork system that might work.

Still, it would be fixing 4e, not D&D.


This isn't Windows Vista....
Am I being unreasonable in expecting my RPG to work right out of the box without patching?
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Peregrin

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« Reply #6 on: May 16, 2010, 03:01:03 AM »
It's not like the other two popular alternatives, 3.5 or Exalted, are any better mechanically.
“In a way, the Lands of Dream are far more brutal than the worlds of most mainstream games. All of the games set there have a bittersweetness that I find much harder to take than the ridiculous adolescent posturing of so-called 'grittily realistic' games. So maybe one reason I like them as a setting is because they are far more like the real world: colourful, crazy, full of strange creatures and people, eternal and yet changing, deeply beautiful and sometimes profoundly bitter.”

Narf the Mouse

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« Reply #7 on: May 16, 2010, 03:06:14 AM »
...3.5...The modifiers! The feats! The feats and modifiers that, in any sane game, would be skills! The...*Sob*...The Prestige Classes...

*Runs away screaming*
The main problem with government is the difficulty of pressing charges against its directors.

Given a choice of two out of three M&Ms, the human brain subconsciously tries to justify the two M&Ms chosen as being superior to the M&M not chosen.

The Butcher

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« Reply #8 on: May 16, 2010, 09:58:58 AM »
Quote from: Narf the Mouse;381004
...3.5...The modifiers! The feats! The feats and modifiers that, in any sane game, would be skills! The...*Sob*...The Prestige Classes...

*Runs away screaming*


My sentiments precisely.

I can actually play 3e and its derivatives with little problem (though I confess to never having played a campaign that went beyond 7th level). Running it, though, is a nightmare for me.

Koltar

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« Reply #9 on: May 16, 2010, 10:46:41 AM »
Quote from: Peregrin;381003
It's not like the other two popular alternatives, 3.5 or Exalted, are any better mechanically.


WTF??

Where does that crazy notion come from?

EXALTED isn't at all popular in the real world.


The only true alternatives I see D&D players going to thaty don't like 4th edition is PATHFINDER or continuing to play 3.5/OGL with third party and PAIZO 'generic'/systemless products that are still available and out there on shelves.

- Ed C.
The return of 'You can't take the Sky From me!'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gUn-eN8mkDw&feature=rec-fresh+div

This is what a really cool FANTASY RPG should be like :
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-WnjVUBDbs

Still here, still alive, at least Seven years now...

GameDaddy
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« Reply #10 on: May 16, 2010, 01:12:20 PM »
Quote from: Lawbag;381002
This isn't Windows Vista....
Am I being unreasonable in expecting my RPG to work right out of the box without patching?


My Vista runs awesome!

It's the only Microsoft OS I have ever had that did not require a re-install a few months after purchasing. I even gutted the worthless Vista security/nag system. All you have to do is keep it patched with the latest updates. You don't have to lift a finger. Once a month, the correct patches are automatically downloaded and installed, behind the scenes. You wouldn't even know it except that the OS automatically notifies you the next time the system is rebooted, detailing what was changed, and how to reverse it, if there is some kind of problem with the patch.

It's still fast too, even with 200+ Gb of additional installed software apps.

Oh, and, every software app that is even halfway decent and supported, gets regularly patched these days, with updates and improvements.

I'd really like to see them do that with RPGs... You know... Provide PDF updates for RPG books, at no charge, as part of the original sale.
« Last Edit: May 16, 2010, 01:24:05 PM by GameDaddy »
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Benoist

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« Reply #11 on: May 16, 2010, 01:28:09 PM »
Quote from: The Butcher;381029
My sentiments precisely.

I can actually play 3e and its derivatives with little problem (though I confess to never having played a campaign that went beyond 7th level). Running it, though, is a nightmare for me.

Weird. I never had a problem running  3.x personally. Don't get me wrong, I see how complex it can become and shit, but I ran games up to level 15ish repetitively and never experienced the huge mindstab other people are talking about. I was using lots of templated predefined creatures, stealing encounters left and right from this or that product, making my own as well, sure. A blend of all sorts of stuff really. I never had such a big problem with DMing 3.x. Honest.

thedungeondelver

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« Reply #12 on: May 16, 2010, 01:34:47 PM »
Quote from: Doom;380993
No it's not...4e is beyond fixing, however.

Well, maybe it's beyond fixing. I've thought about sitting down, identifying all the design flaws, making some fixes, and seeing if the next campaign runs better with a stack of houserules to patch over everything.

But when I try to list even a couple flaws, I try to follow up with patches...and it just seems overwhelming. But that just means I'm not capable of fixing it, it's possible someone that really cares could devote a few months to coming up with a patchwork system that might work.

Still, it would be fixing 4e, not D&D.


What most people want to do to "fix" D&D would make it not D&D.  And don't start that "but if it's called D&D by the parent company..." semantics BS, either.

I think we can all agree in general terms about what D&D is and is not.

Ask the folks at ICE or whomever was publishing Champions just what happens when you ditch the entire system to "reinvent" it (Hero Fuzion which was arguably the worst mainstream RPG ever)
THE DELVERS DUNGEON


Mcbobbo sums it up nicely.

Quote
Astrophysicists are reassessing Einsteinian relativity because the 28 billion l

thedungeondelver

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« Reply #13 on: May 16, 2010, 01:36:01 PM »
Quote from: GameDaddy;381070
My Vista runs awesome!

It's the only Microsoft OS I have ever had that did not require a re-install a few months after purchasing. I even gutted the worthless Vista security/nag system. All you have to do is keep it patched with the latest updates. You don't have to lift a finger. Once a month, the correct patches are automatically downloaded and installed, behind the scenes. You wouldn't even know it except that the OS automatically notifies you the next time the system is rebooted, detailing what was changed, and how to reverse it, if there is some kind of problem with the patch.

It's still fast too, even with 200+ Gb of additional installed software apps.

Oh, and, every software app that is even halfway decent and supported, gets regularly patched these days, with updates and improvements.


I didn't mind Vista so much, but I luuuuuuuuuurve Windows7.  But not to derail...!

Quote

I'd really like to see them do that with RPGs... You know... Provide PDF updates for RPG books, at no charge, as part of the original sale.


Wasn't that part and parcel of the aborted "Digital Initiative"?
THE DELVERS DUNGEON


Mcbobbo sums it up nicely.

Quote
Astrophysicists are reassessing Einsteinian relativity because the 28 billion l

Peregrin

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« Reply #14 on: May 16, 2010, 01:41:02 PM »
Quote from: Koltar;381036
WTF??

Where does that crazy notion come from?

EXALTED isn't at all popular in the real world.


The only true alternatives I see D&D players going to thaty don't like 4th edition is PATHFINDER or continuing to play 3.5/OGL with third party and PAIZO 'generic'/systemless products that are still available and out there on shelves.

- Ed C.

Exalted, the last time I checked, was right behind Vampire in terms of sales.  I don't know anyone in my area that plays WoD actively, but that doesn't mean that somewhere, someone else doesn't.  Most of the people in my area are too busy playing 4e.

There are people who claim Exalted sells well at their LGS and is actively played, just like there are people who claim there are people who play mostly 3.5 at their store.  I see neither of those things, but that doesn't mean that there aren't places where 3.5 or Exalted are more popular.  I'm not any more inclined to believe that Exalted isn't popular as I am that 3.5 is no longer played.  We're talking about a tiny hobby with different cliques and variable levels of popularity for certain lines dependent upon region.

A little offtopic, though.
« Last Edit: May 16, 2010, 01:47:48 PM by Peregrin »
“In a way, the Lands of Dream are far more brutal than the worlds of most mainstream games. All of the games set there have a bittersweetness that I find much harder to take than the ridiculous adolescent posturing of so-called 'grittily realistic' games. So maybe one reason I like them as a setting is because they are far more like the real world: colourful, crazy, full of strange creatures and people, eternal and yet changing, deeply beautiful and sometimes profoundly bitter.”