The D&D Podcast wants your questions

[WotC_Dave]

Good questions, all. So good, in fact, that you should send them to dndfeedback@wizards.com. (I'll admit it: I'm not going to have time for a leisurely surf of the boards before we hit the studio tomorrow.)

And one further note: We're going to prioritize questions about the 4e D&D game itself rather than questions about D&D Insider, the digital game table, etc., simply because that's what Mike and I are doing on a daily basis. We'll sure get the digital folks into the studio and give them the third degree. But not tomorrow.

--Dave.

 

[Glyfair]

I downloaded the latest podcast just recently (Episode 14). When will the new one come out?

I'm pretty sure that if you can hear the answer to that question, then you'll know the answer already

 

[takasi]

(I'll admit it: I'm not going to have time for a leisurely surf of the boards before we hit the studio tomorrow.)

I had already sent mine before posting.

 

[WotC_Dave]

When's the next episode coming out? Good question. I don't know exactly. It usually takes a few days to do the engineering and postproduction stuff on the podcasts.

We record them in one take, usually. But Mike swears like a sailor, and I have long digressions where I speak in a little girl voice about a land of moonbeams and pixiedust. We edit that stuff out.

--Dave.

 

[Zaukrie]

I figured the DI questions were a reach...but a guy's gotta try.

 

[Glyfair]

We record them in one take, usually. But Mike swears like a sailor, and I have long digressions where I speak in a little girl voice about a land of moonbeams and pixiedust. We edit that stuff out.

Now I'm sure you have a group that wants the "Too Hot for Podcast" cut (especially that pixie dust stuff).

 

[WhatGravitas]

...We edit that stuff out.

--Dave.

Why? That's where the fun starts!

(and yeah, sent a bunch of questions per e-mail)

Cheers, LT.

 

[caelum]

1. In what we've heard, there's a lot of emphasis on the "role" of each character in the party. That worries me, because in 3e it is hard enough shoehorning a party without a cleric or wizard or tank. If roles become even more integral to adventure design, how easy will it be to work with a group where, say, nobody wants to play a mage?

2. We've seen lots of mention of details in 3e that don't work so well (grappling, turning undead, familiars etc.). But small things like that can be fixed easily, not requiring the wholesale changes we're now expecting. What are the "structural flaws" in 3e that need correcting and motivated you personally in your work on 4e?

3. There's a tension in 3e between complexity and simplicity: as players, we all love having tons of options to make exactly the character we envision (well, most of us do). But those same options make a DM's preparation job harder, if he or she wants to take advantage of them. How do you balance these and keep enough options for players while holding down the DM's prep time?

4. What, to you, are the real "sacred cows" in D&D (if there are any)? At what point does it stop being D&D and become some other roleplaying game?

5. How come the defeated trolls in the "D&D Sizzle" video just lie there inert? Shouldn't they be regenerating?!? Or is this a subtle preview of the re-designed troll?

Thanks for taking these questions - I always enjoy the podcasts!

 

[marune]

What is the goal of the D&D 4E game, and how the design decisions that the designers took while building this game will help the players reach that goal.

(IMHO, a good answer to this question should aslo be printed in the first pages of the PHB)

 

[F4NBOY]

Are you goning to answer questions about rules mechanics?