Lanefan
Victoria Rules
First off, allow me to add to the chorus of congratulations... 
My question is this: though Mr. Mearls is now at the helm, how much control and-or influence over the game's direction will he actually have?
If it really is a situation of "what MM says, goes" and he truly has full creative freedom to shape the game as he likes, then over the next while we really should be laying out our hopes and dreams for the game and see if any strike a chord with him. There was a recent thread somewhere 'round here about design goals for D+D, that might be a good place to start.
But I suspect that full freedom is not the case...and with that in mind, an invitation:
Mr. Mearls, please post here again and at least vaguely outline what you do and do not have control over (e.g. future edition design/release, 3rd-party policies, prior edition PDF/re-release policies, tweaks and changes to the current edition, etc.), both for our edification and to perhaps spare yourself from getting undeserved grief over things that aren't even in your domain.
Lanefan
I'd say it's not so much expecting as hoping. Lots and lots of people want to see the game go in lots and lots of directions, and a new hand taking the helm gets their hopes up.
My question is this: though Mr. Mearls is now at the helm, how much control and-or influence over the game's direction will he actually have?
If it really is a situation of "what MM says, goes" and he truly has full creative freedom to shape the game as he likes, then over the next while we really should be laying out our hopes and dreams for the game and see if any strike a chord with him. There was a recent thread somewhere 'round here about design goals for D+D, that might be a good place to start.
But I suspect that full freedom is not the case...and with that in mind, an invitation:
Mr. Mearls, please post here again and at least vaguely outline what you do and do not have control over (e.g. future edition design/release, 3rd-party policies, prior edition PDF/re-release policies, tweaks and changes to the current edition, etc.), both for our edification and to perhaps spare yourself from getting undeserved grief over things that aren't even in your domain.
Lanefan
