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Mike Mearls' latest ruminations on character abandonment (or rather, when players get bored with their PCs), got me thinking about class features and levels. In the next version of the game, when should PCs (a) reach the zenith of their class features, and (b) what do we do with PCs once they've...

I liked the article, and I'm glad we're having conversations about the types of adventures they'll be producing, but I'm not crazy about the poll. From a very cursory view, it could have been improved by dividing the answer choices into different categories, such as: Genre, Elements, Setting...

I agreed with your premise, that surges did not exist in 1e, but not with your claim that surges do not hold up to inspection - that is subjective. I also added that while I'm not opposed to surges, I'm not "married" to them either. I believe non-magical healing has a place in the game, just in...

I disagree with you on your first point. I believe it does stand up to inspection, even though such a thing didn't exist in 1e - but we can disagree and that's cool. My point in referencing HPs in 1e is that many people seem suspicious of the concept of HP in 4e when it has always been...

I like healing surges and the way HP are considered in 4e. I also play 1st Edition and like how HP are considered in that edition as well. How can I reconcile the two? Easy, here's Gary's thoughts on HP (DMG, p.34) Each character has a varying number of hit points, just as monsters do. These...

I like healing surges and the way HP are considered in 4e. I also play 1st Edition and like how HP are considered in that edition as well. How can I reconcile the two? Easy, here's Gary's thoughts on HP (DMG, p.34) Each character has a varying number of hit points, just as monsters do. These...

I agree public relations have improved enormously, and I hope that continues. In fact, if they can improve their survey design that will only enhance current public relations. As far as off-putting, I guess that is up to individual interpretation, but it is a critique (and I hope a constructive...

There are a variety of sampling methods: random sampling, purposeful sampling, convenience sampling - and they each have their merit depending on the situation. In this case, I would argue the authors are using convenience sampling, and that approach can still yield useful data. However, you...

Maybe the math is more linear and there is a smaller scale of armor bonuses? For instance, in 1st ed you basically had 10 to -10 as the basic assumption for armor class. I can't remember if magical items let you exceed that scale with RAW. So, maybe a way that high level characters can...

Is this the feedback he received? If so, it suggests that they are using all sorts of data collection for analysis including the polls included in this article. While that is your suspicion, I think your claim that the data collected from your “informal poll” confirmed your suspicion is...

This is an interesting point and something that a researcher should consider when designing the instrument. This is where we think about the sample: who do we want to participate? How do we get them to participate? What are the limitations in selecting our sample?, etc... If we adopt the...

I agree that WotC has conducted serious market research in the past, but I believe that these polls exist outside of that particular type of market research. In the past, WotC has employed a marketing firm in conducting online surveys, and these surveys have been well constructed. With the...

I agree that there is a lot of "fan sentiment" associated with these surveys, and I'm not suggesting that they are using these polls as the sole source of their data collection, but I do believe they are suggesting that the data collected from these polls are informing their decisions on future...

Thank you for adopting an "open playtest" approach as you develop the next iteration of D&D. I've enjoyed many of the articles on the WotC website and the conversations they have raised in forums like this. However, as a researcher, I've been frustrated with the surveys accompanying many of the...

As a researcher, I would like to go on record and say that the way in which WotC designs their polls causes me to seriously question the data they collect, the decisions they make based on their analysis, and their original intent. The polls are poorly designed in terms of the language used and...

I was rolling up a 1st edition drow magic user tonight. The PC was 4th level and as I was choosing spells, I decided to choose "Find Familiar." First, I spent the $ for components, etc... then I rolled a D20 and got a 15! - that's a special familiar. We look at my options and decide to choose...

If you are responding to my earlier post, then you'll notice I didn't say 4e solved the problem of +n weapons, but that the design of 4e suggested that the designers began to think about +n weapons and other forms of treasure and its distribution in new ways. So, to that degree, we are...

Editing quotes for brevity is a fairly common practice on these boards and it's not against the code of conduct. However, I apologize if you had difficulty understanding the reply. I agree that +1 swords may be boring (I'm not going to assume they are always boring to all people), but I don't...

That depends on the game. In some games, a first level character might think that a +1 ancestral sword at the end of an adventure is cool, or even just appropriate. Not all "ancestral swords" have to be Anduril or Stormbringer. Gaming rhetoric aside, the in-game expectation of a magical sword...

But we have to have math in order to have the magic. A +1 sword is boring. At the basic level it is simply a mathematical expression of magic. "This is a magical sword. You will hit a little bit more and do a little bit more damage." It seems to me that type of mathematical expression of magic...