Chris Perkins now Senior Producer, D&D RPG

[tuxgeo]

This new business group sounds very interesting.

< snip >

DND brand coffee mugs...

D&D-branded ale mugs. ("It comes in pints? I'm getting one!")
Extra points if it's a flagon with a dragon. . . .

(Not that this has anything to do with the recent promotion of Chris Perkins, who may not even drink ale for all I know.)

 

[Scribble]

There was a range of licensed D&D Halloween costumes released in the 80s. Here's a catalog page.

 

[vagabundo]

I already have a couple of TSR coffee mugs. These feature the logo with the dragon behind the TSR. Jealous?

lol pictures or it didn't happen...

 

[Jack99]

lol pictures or it didn't happen...

It's screenshots or it didn't happen

 

[Roland55]

I wanted to know, so I simply asked him

His response...

These are some talented people. Results ought to be good.

 

[firesnakearies]

But I can't help wish, as I sit to plan out how I'm going to spend the next three months rewriting the E-series of WotC adventures before they are in a shape fit to run as an RPG rather than an extended Descent/Heroquest session with my group, Perkins would be writing adventures now that Cordell has been shuffled of to the boardgames to which his talents are more clearly suited.

(Cordell was the primary author for all three E-series adventures.)

Don't put that on Bruce Cordell. I think it's wildly unfair to blame the sucktasticness of the published WotC 4E modules on him. He wrote some amazing modules back in the day. I think it's the fact that everyone writing published WotC adventures for 4E now are forced into writing them a certain way, and that way is crap.

Blame the format, the encounter and adventure design assumptions which are built into "official" 4E.

The Gates of Firestorm Peak is my favorite D&D module of all time, and Bruce Cordell's illithid trilogy was really cool, as well. He's more than capable of writing great adventures. I think he's just constrained now by "it must be in the space-eating delve format, must contain X number of combat encounters built according to X encounter budgets, and fit on a map this small, in this page count, and it has to be written according to a default, codified 4E adventure style".

I can just imagine trying to write a cool adventure for WotC, and being told "well, you've pretty much got five pages total for all story, NPC details, background, interesting description, branching plotlines, discussion of roleplaying scenes, extra fun places to explore that aren't directly used for a pre-designed encounter, or alternative means of handling challenges . . . the rest of the page count must be filled with 50 grindy combats and 10 skill challenges designed according to a specific formula, that must each take up a bunch of space by using the inviolable delve format . . . so, good luck!"

Blame the people who are setting the rules for "this is how WotC 4E adventures must be written and presented", not Bruce Cordell.

 

[Darrin Drader]

Firesnakearies, I completely agree. Bruce Cordell is a great designer whose previous work speaks for itself. If you liked hid stuff before but you don't now, you should really ask what has changed.

My hope is that between the D&D Essentials line and Chris Perkins functioning at a higher level, that D&D might evolve into something builds on some of the strengths of 4E, but is otherwise closer to its roots.

 

[Turbiales]

Blame the people who are setting the rules for "this is how WotC 4E adventures must be written and presented", not Bruce Cordell.

I completely agree, the "adventure separated from encounters" format is the main reason i stopped bying any adventures from WOTC. It can be better to use in encounters but is annoying to read them in the first place.

As a gamer who used to enjoy reading adventures, it was a disappointment.

At least we have paizo for traditional adventures.

 

[Shemeska]

I can just imagine trying to write a cool adventure for WotC, and being told "well, you've pretty much got five pages total for all story, NPC details, background, interesting description, branching plotlines, discussion of roleplaying scenes, extra fun places to explore that aren't directly used for a pre-designed encounter, or alternative means of handling challenges . . . the rest of the page count must be filled with 50 grindy combats and 10 skill challenges designed according to a specific formula, that must each take up a bunch of space by using the inviolable delve format . . . so, good luck!"

Blame the people who are setting the rules for "this is how WotC 4E adventures must be written and presented", not Bruce Cordell.

Very true. Cordell has some crazy talent, and some of his 2e works are among my favorite RPG books ever. 'Guide to the Ethereal' was amazing. His talent didn't vanish unless illithids really do exist and there's a giant creativity eating brain in a pool of green water and tadpoles in the basement over at WotC headquarters, so I'm very much inclined to say that the system in place and the handed-down-from-on-high inviolable guidelines for adventures and other material are at best not the best way to showcase his work - and more in line with my opinion they're stiffling him and others.

 

[DaveMage]

I guess we'll see what happens, but there certainly seems to be a shift away from the RPG....