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If you don't like the word "generic", call it rather a lack of specificity. In terms of Origin runs where you get to see the most unique content and perspectives, I would order it as Karlach->Gale->Shadowheart->Astarion->Wyll->Lae'zel, although I think Wyll is a good Origin run simply because...

Agreed. To this day, I've never played a Tav. I've done a few Dark Urge runs, and all my other runs were Origin characters (I've finished them all now except Shadowheart, which was in Act 3.) I much prefer games with specific protagonists over create-a-character protagonists.

It's definitely an issue you can see the designers running into. At their core, they want the main character to be a specific character, with a particular voice, because it allows them to craft a specific story around that character and make their presentation more visceral. That's why they've...

For a Ravenloft type game, I might want to conceive of a lower stat as not being the result of simply a personal deficiency, but rather the result of a curse or some other Dark Power opposed punishment.

For sure. Items like gauntlets of ogre strength or a headband of intellect should be at least of "rare" rarity in such a regime, as opposed to merely "uncommon".

We often sit around the gaming table discussing game anecdotes at the start of the session, but eventually someone always says "Ok, let's play" and we start the actual game session. So colloquially, we use the term "play" as a verb to denote the start of the actual game session. It's just...

Broadly, yes. Yes. There's a point where I would probably NOT feel that way. It's somewhere between 12 and 14, I think. A starting max of 10 or 12 feels like it's too punitive. It can, depending on implementation. The primary mechanic that would create that feeling of "inadequacy" (and...

Above, I said that I would limit stat growth to 16 in the point-buy environment you presented. As a player, I would have no problem with a lower point-buy start if I could only get to a 16 anyway. 16 and 20 are both ultimately artificial caps introduced for gameplay purposes. If the monsters...

I would frame it as most players don't want their PCs to feel inadequate, and what feels inadequate is usually determined by what their ceiling for growth is. It isn't relative to their encounters, because players understand that NPCs are malleable and dictated by the GM. Their feeling of...

I would certainly count things like creating homebrew rules, or prepping for adventures, or designing a setting on your own as "engagement", but definitely not "play". But, as always, different people make words different. :)

Anything that reiterates the idea that the D&D multiverse is intended to be tonally disparate and inconsistent is a good thing, in my book. The idea of a "thematically consistent" D&D is anathema to its spirit as a DIY playground.

Ideally, they'll recognize that the ideal design for these kinds of games is more of a funnel; you start very open-ended in Act I, and slowly tighten up in later Acts, focusing more on big set-piece encounters that are relatively unavoidable. The primary need is to let the parameters set by the...

In general, I think maxing out the ability score for your primary class stat is the mechanically optimal choice, outside of certain niche situations and character concepts. I wish that wasn't the case; I enjoy seeing mechanical build diversity and concept diversity, and I would rather my...

I always upvote stat draft!

I would be fine with it as long as the max cap for stats is at 16, not 20. The problem with starting at lower stats is that it puts more pressure on you to take ASIs because of mechanical need instead of fun feats, and I’m a big proponent of players taking fun feats and getting them earlier.

"Vanity Frankenstein" is too good of a name not to copyright. :)

Yea, I know. What I mean is there won't need to be some distinction within the community as to whether the release is "real" or D&D Beyond only; they're all just going to be "releases" of equal relevance regardless of the medium.

I certainly wouldn't say the sky is falling. If anything, I think bringing in more outside products will improve the overall quality of WotC's D&D material. The question is whether this job is a leading indicator for a broader shift in release strategy. I think the evidence the position...

I mean, moving forward, I don't think it makes as much sense to think of "WotC D&D releases" and "Beyond releases" as two separate things. One can always make the choice to continue to differentiate between products, but my guess would be (and this job listing supports the idea) that WotC...

Basically, when your chance to hit is really low, advantage almost doubles your hit chance. But since your chance to hit is so low, even a doubling of that chance is only equivalent to a +1. When you hit chance is really high, advantage can't increase it much more, so it's also only worth a...