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I definitely have felt some of this during the Keynote address and some other places. I also feel like my style of gaming (which is a gamist, mechanics-focused one) has been presented as undesirable or "not what brings people to DnD" during discussions of DnD Next at several points.

I disagree with pretty much everything you said in your post above. That's not the DM's job, it is the system's job to assume and provide basic game balance. As a DM, I don't want to have to compensate for an unbalanced system on top of all the other work I already put into designing a game...

In regards to the OP's question: if they want me to invest in the game, and want people like me to invest in the game, then balance should be one of the primary design goals. Just because it is impossible to achieve perfect balance does not mean it should not receive heavy attention. Keeping the...

There is not a single, unifying, "they get more actions" mechanic to solos. Instead, it's more of a design philosophy. It seems most prevalent in the Monster Vault and its sequel, where the dragons get instinctive actions, the hydra has Snapping Jaws, and the beholder has Random Eye Ray. So they...

I did notice that Will didn't object to being called an "elf" in this session. In the past events he's been rather passionate about being an "eladrin" rather than an elf. That could be coincidental of course. The only time I saw those rules being used was when Tycho pointed out he had "keen...

Well, he may have also just forgotten that it was a per-encounter ability (if it is) and used it an extra time. Wouldn't be the first time such a thing has happened in these games :heh:

I noticed that too. But isn't an eladrin basically a high elf? I really thought they were the same thing with different names. He also used fey step twice, which makes me wonder if maybe it was actually a spell (I think he said he was a cleric at some point).

Well, perhaps what I should be saying is I'd have liked it if they'd showed off DnDNext's ability to make "quick" encounters that are still somewhat interesting, because this kinda failed at that. I'm also disappointed that the monsters posed no threat to the PCs but that's a different issue.

Fairly entertaining, but I liked it better when they didn't spend the whole session on a single encounter. Though it is funny that these guys spent almost two hours on a single encounter when that was precisely the kind of thing that was supposed to be rare in DnD Next (I know that's not...

I won't even join a game if rolling is required. I don't like my character's stats or ability to perform to be chosen for me, I want to make all the choices consciously and without random chance entering the picture at all. Of course I'm still fine with rolling dice in play, but in character...

I would like to playtest, but I haven't been able to find groups at any of my usual hangouts (I only found one, and it was already full, plus they actually had people rolling for HP and stats and that's when I decide not to play). And, unfortunately, unlike the previous edition, I have no...

I was starting to feel a bit left out when Mearls starting talking about "why people play DnD," because he didn't list very many reasons that I originally got into the game for. I did start playing with 3rd edition, and I had a lot of fun with it--but most of what I focused on was combining...

Maybe I can help add a bit here too. When I saw 4E, I saw "This is a game I want to DM!" I wouldn't even consider DMing a game of Next in it's current state. Monsters are dull and encounter-building is more or less "you're on your own!" At least in comparison to what we had before. In short, I...

I'm still not quite convinced that parry will work out that great in play, or in fact be of greater use than healing, but it is something. The monsters don't have a huge incentive to attack the fighter anymore, and if the fighter uses their expertise dice for deadly strike they can't use it for...

It can--in theory, if the enemies attack mostly/only the fighter, the fighter doesn't use your expertise dice for other things, and the fighter rolls well. The cleric can heal anybody, not just themselves. And while the fighter starts off more accurate, the cleric is actually more accurate with...

Speaking of failed mechanics from 3E returning, is there something I am missing, or is there not much reason to play a fighter over a war domain cleric? I mean, the expertise thing is kind of nice, but generally it looks too weak and limited to me (Cleave is the only one I like very much, but...

Is it just me that likes encounter design guidelines, but finds the current set rather unsatisfying? Right now, I have no desire to DM this game because I feel that the guidelines for building encounters (and adventures, for that matter) are too vague. I liked 4E's tightly-designed monsters...

I realize this is encounters, but I don't think it's too much to ask the players to get together and trim down the number of animal companions to 1-2 at maximum between them. And especially split the group into smaller ones.

As someone who loves playing pet classes, I have to strongly advise against this. It seems like a terrible solution to me. With that said, in the game I'm currently DMing, I took a look at the Fey Beast Tamer theme and informed my players that if next level (when they could retrain themes)...

I intend to do the "two initiative" thing when thematically appropriate, like with an ettin, or maybe a "final bossy" style solo. The new MV dragons essentially get a turn and a "half turn" at their initiative + 10, which is another way to do it. The three-headed dragon in the new monster vault...