D&D Podcast 2/11/2011

[Dedekind]

That's a nice sentiment and a good goal, but does it mean even less content in DDI? It's already down to a trickle, a pittance.

If one of their goals is to leverage DDI for steady revenue, eliminating its most popular features and replacing them with vastly inferior, barely-working versions while simultaneously reducing the amount of new content seems... counterproductive.

My impression actually is that the content will just be "better." It seems like if they have cut something, it was the print products.

But, regardless, it sounds like the have put a quality focused process in place.

 

[Zaran]

My favorite part of the podcast was the clarification from Mike Mearls about the canceled products. Basically, they're not sticking to one book per month but rather they're looking to more fully test the material before releasing it.

They've tried to say this before, but this was the clearest explanation yet I think. It makes me much more comfortable losing this material knowing that they're putting more effort into assuring it doesn't require pages of errata later when it finally does get released, whatever form it might take.

I'll believe this when I see these books back on the schedule. Bill said they were cancelled because they would be delivered by other means such as DDI.

 

[Nemesis Destiny]

I'll believe this when I see these books back on the schedule. Bill said they were cancelled because they would be delivered by other means such as DDI.

For the record, he said "digital offerings" and we all speculated that he meant via DDI, but he was deliberately not specific.

And, he did not refer to the specific content of those books, but rather said, "just as much great content," which we were all too eager to read as, "the stuff from the canned books."

They have still not come right out and said what is to become of that content.

This "great content" delivered via "digital offerings" could just as easily refer to the VTT and new online Adventure Tools software that is now in beta.

I caution you against putting words in their mouths - you will probably come away disappointed, and it will somehow still be "all WotC's fault" and yet it was we who read too much into what was said. It's a fine point, and his language took great care in dancing around it without saying anything definitive.

Granted, I would like very much to see that content come through insider, but I'll believe it when I see it. They have until next December to make a believer out of me.