Mearls is the new manager of D&D

tuxgeo · May 16, 2010

ExploderWizard said:
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At the end of the day though, the feel and direction of the game is up to you right now. Do what you think is actually best and don't let yourself get second guessed by a committee. Too many cooks can ruin a dish. If you do what you honestly feel is best for D&D then people will respect that even if that vision differs from their own.

Best of luck!

Agree with the "Best of luck!" sentiment.

Also, persevere, as you did with the Hybrid class rules: if your vision isn't implemented immediately, keep on working at it for another PHB or two, because you might be able get your vision implemented later.

DaveMage · May 16, 2010

BryonD said:
But, there certainly are threads where it is completely appropriate. And a thread about changes in the person with his hand on the rudder of where D&D goes is most certainly an appropriate place to comment on hopes for a change in course.

Exactly.

However, I doubt there's anything that could be done to salvage the current edition to make it even remotely interesting to me (and likely many others who dislike 4E feel the same way).

Any leadership that could be shown at this point would only be relevant if:

1) The next edition changed things signifcantly; or
2) WotC began to make products designed to appeal to those who play earlier editions (w/o the 4E baggage).

If those two aren't doable, then frankly it doesn't matter who is in charge of D&D - it won't be for me.

Azgulor · May 16, 2010

DaveMage said:
Exactly.

However, I doubt there's anything that could be done to salvage the current edition to make it even remotely interesting to me (and likely many others who dislike 4E feel the same way).

Any leadership that could be shown at this point would only be relevant if:

1) The next edition changed things signifcantly; or
2) WotC began to make products designed to appeal to those who play earlier editions (w/o the 4E baggage).

If those two aren't doable, then frankly it doesn't matter who is in charge of D&D - it won't be for me.

This is the camp I find myself in as well.

The disenchantment Mr. Mearls describes from the 2e occurred for me back then as well. I left D&D in search of other RPGs. What I learned: While D&D would forever hold a nostalgic place in my RPG library, loyalty to TSR had irrevocably ended.

The OGL & 3PP brought me back to D&D. Coincidentally, some of Mr. Mearls' 3PP work were what showcased the flexibility of the d20 engine and that the system could be used for more than high fantasy D&D.

WotC essentially reproduced the 2e disenchantment -- on steroids. I had arrived at the point where the amount of WotC product I was purchasing was effectively nil. The 4e PR campaign, the form the rules took, the electronic focus of Dragon & Dungeon, and the half-ogre sibling of the OGL called the GSL, the pulling of older edition PDF products, and the regular firing of dedicated staff, all combined, have effectively nuked the site from orbit rather than just burning the bridge.

As I stated earlier, I wish Mr. Mearls the best of luck in his new role. However, I've moved on to other RPGs and other companies. I have no use for 4e so I have no use for WotC products.

That said, I hope that Mr. Mearls' time at the helm of the D&D RPG is a golden age for 4e and its fans.

Beginning of the End · May 16, 2010

mearls said:
Then, something happened. TSR dropped Gary. Greyhawk was pushed aside. When 2e came out, I was torn. There were plenty of things to like about the game, but the attitude around it was off. It almost seemed like the people behind D&D didn't particularly care for the way I loved D&D. Maybe I was completely irrational, but the game felt changed in some insidious way.

As time went on, that feeling only increased. There were bright spots, most notably Dungeon magazine, but a lot of the stuff TSR put out didn't really speak to why I fell in love with D&D in the first place. I wanted to love D&D, but it wasn't really clear that the company behind D&D wanted to return that love.

It's interesting you would say that, because it almost precisely mirrors my reaction to 4th Edition: By choosing a one-true-wayism style of design and deliberately changing and/or eliminating fundamental gameplay that had been part of D&D since 1974, WotC made it abundantly clear they were no longer interested in making the game that I had been playing (and continue to play).

It's easy for me to look at this as the chance for me to make D&D into the game I always wanted it to be, but that would be disingenuous.

Which makes reading a sentence like this really, really ironic.

There will undoubtedly be some who choose to interpret this as a slam on 4th Edition. It's not, per se. Barring a few glitches here and there, 4th Edition is clearly a well-designed fantasy roleplaying game. Of course, so were Rolemaster, Runequest, and Earthdawn. They weren't the D&D game I've been playing since the '80s; nor would they become so if you were to slap the D&D trademark on them.

So when WotC goes back to producing a D&D game that plays like D&D played for the first 34 years of its history, that'll be the day I become their customer again.

Whether WotC is interested in having people like me for a customer -- or in producing a game that plays like the game designed by Arneson & Gygax -- is, of course, ultimately up to WotC.

And I'm not even particularly under the illusion that your new position will actually give you any actual ability to solve what I consider to be fairly serious problems. Even if you were so inclined.

Azgulor · May 16, 2010

On another note, I do have a serious question - one that arose as I read through this thread in its entirety.

Now that Mr. Mearls is running the D&D RPG - what are you expecting him to do? The anticipation & hopeful wishes seem to be leaning in the direction of Mearls imparting a significant imprint or change in direction. I took the announcement as a good bit of news for Mearls & the idea it would result in some changes to the types of product produced but the hopes expressed in this thread seem to be much more significant/expansive than I expected.

Assuming an edition change is out, what are you hoping/expecting Mike to do? "If it ain't broke, don't fix it," does tend to hold if a business plan is successful. I not suggesting stagnation but I think if folks are expecting a WotC revolution/revision of D&D you're going to be disappointed. (That's what new editions are for...)

It's pretty tough to go a week without running into a thread where one or more of the following are posited:
1. 4e is a smashing success; on par or in excess of 3e
2. WotC is the 800 lb. gorilla. Even their largest competitor isn't a true competitor in a market share sense.
3. 4e fans are happy with the DDI and it's benefits far outweigh things like in-print modules and a strong 3PP ecology.
4. 5e isn't even on the horizon.
5. The 4e "divide" is overblown. The community represented at ENWorld and other forums are a miniscule element of the overall RPG market. The vast majority of RPG players & GMs are playing/running 4e.
6. The 1 book setting approach is superior to extensive setting expansion like what was done in prior editions.

So if most or all of the above is true, what specifically are you hoping/expecting Mike to do to the D&D RPG? Are these just highly expressive well wishes or earnest hopes for major product shakeups?

nedjer · May 16, 2010

It's the guy's first week

If he's pummelled into a corner so early on it'll be all the harder for him to take a real step back and think about any meaningful change in any direction. Maybe give him a break for a fortnight or so?

Pour · May 16, 2010

Congrats Mike!

Ever since you started doing podcasts, I think you've been the right man for this sort of job. Your enthusiasm and game knowledge will undoubtedly be put to great use.

In the last year or so, I've really be digging the direction D&D is heading, and I feel that 4e has begun to come into its own. Designers seem more comfortable in the system, the rules are being cleaned up even further, 3rd party is really turning out some quality stuff (especially fey-related), we're getting boardgames and Dark Sun and Orcus, just a good time. I have a feeling on your watch things will be taken to the next level.

CasvalRemDeikun · May 17, 2010

Congrats, Mike!

Now, hows about you take that past love of Dragonlance and make a 4e version of it (also, persuade Bill to get some DL novels going)? As for the rest of the D&D RPG, keep up the good work. I am really looking forward to the Essentials line.

Celtavian · May 17, 2010

re

Mike Mearls,

Congratulations on the new job. I'd love to love D&D again as well. Left the game at the 4E launch and haven't returned.

A big step in the right direction for me loving D&D again would be to get wizards, heck, casters period back to how they have been for countless editions of D&D . What 4E did to casters was like a dagger driven into my D&D loving heart. I had spent years mastering caster play to the point that my group acknowledged me as one of the best if not the best caster player in our group. Not because I crushed what I faced, but because I was great at spell strategy.

I enjoy the concept behind boosting melees and giving them interesting powers and abilities. But there has to be a way to do that while keeping casters the imaginative, varied, and powerful beings they were before 4E. There's gotta be a way to make casters able to do combat buffs during the actual battle, do things other than damage that don't break quickly like dominate person or confusion, and use transportation powers and other non-damaging but effective powers in combat on a scale other than personal like the teleport assault or evacuation in 3D or Mass Fly for aerial combats. Bring back some of the need for smart casters that know how to counter enemy caster spell strategy. Heck, bring back spell strategy period. Make it so a caster has to work to think out the best strategy to counter an enemy. Make it so everything isn't temporary and limited to once a day or encounter.

Good luck making D&D better. I hope one of you designers will one day bring me back into the fold. As much as I like Pathfinder, I miss my books with the D&D logo on them.

Umbran · May 17, 2010

ExploderWizard said:
This happens to some D&D fans every single time the game undergoes a major change. It happened then, it's happening now and will most likely continue in the future.

Yes. There is a very simple maxim that folks sometimes forget - you can't please everybody.