"Designer's Notes" to be included...

[MerricB]

From the recent Design & Development column, "Reads Bad, Plays Good":

In future products, you’re going to see us explain ourselves more and tell you why we do the things we do. You’ll start to see more “designer notes” and other asides that clue you into what’s going on behind the scenes. It’s an effort to get to both “reads good” and “plays good.” - David Noonan

I'm really looking forward to this feature in new books. Insights from the designers and developers as to what they were thinking are things I really like - and anything that helps a DM assimilate the game balance implications of some of these new mechanics would be greatly appreciated.

Cheers!

 

[Arnwyn]

Very very awesome. The "designer's notes" in Red Hand of Doom was one of the best things in that adventure.

Great news, and I'm a little surprised they didn't do this a long time ago (less so than for adventures, though).

 

[Joshua Randall]

Actually, I found many of the designer's notes in Red Hand of Doom to be pretty blah. Superficial insights rather than in-depth discussion. But, I suppose a published adventure is really not the place for in-depth discussions of game design.

Which begs the question, is some future D&D book the correct place for in-depth discussion of game design? Do we need to know in the book why something was designed the way it was? Where does it end -- why are there three BAB progressions? Why don't paladins get good Will saves? Etc. ad infinitum.

 

[Knight Otu]

Well, they used to have those Behind the Curtain sidebars, which were similar.

Regarding the Mystic Theurge, it sure didn't help that it was previewed the day after April Fools. And I amusedly remember people both trying to proe the MT to be balanced using the Encounter Level rules, and trying to prove him to be broken with the very same rules.

 

[hong]

Bah. They stole it from me!


Hong "underappreciated and unnoticed - in bed" Ooi

 

[(Psi)SeveredHead]

Actually, I found many of the designer's notes in Red Hand of Doom to be pretty blah. Superficial insights rather than in-depth discussion. But, I suppose a published adventure is really not the place for in-depth discussions of game design.

Which begs the question, is some future D&D book the correct place for in-depth discussion of game design? Do we need to know in the book why something was designed the way it was? Where does it end -- why are there three BAB progressions? Why don't paladins get good Will saves? Etc. ad infinitum.

I like that idea. It might reduce balance arguments. If something turns out to be unbalanced, you might also have a better idea of why it's unbalanced. It might make an ability that seems useless seem useful ("this is how to use it", etc). Cheers.

I'd like to see the defense of the Frenzied Berserker and Sudden Metamagic spell feats

 

[DragonLancer]

In all honesty, I'm not that interested in reading designer's notes.

 

[Psion]

I dunno. I find some designers notes interesting, especially of the sort you saw in Unearthed Arcana, where you have a new, different mechanic.

But really -- it seems like WotC books are getting squeezed down to a paltry 160 pages, with no attendant price decrease. Where are they going to fit these designer notes? What is going to get booted to fit them in?

I'm skeptical.

 

[JoeGKushner]

I dunno. I find some designers notes interesting, especially of the sort you saw in Unearthed Arcana, where you have a new, different mechanic.

But really -- it seems like WotC books are getting squeezed down to a paltry 160 pages, with no attendant price decrease. Where are they going to fit these designer notes? What is going to get booted to fit them in?

I'm skeptical.

This message JGK approved. (And the G is for Glen, not greatness, although I'll take that too!)

 

[Piratecat]

This is great news. When I know what they're thinking behind a design, it's much easier for me to play with the concept and keep any changes balanced. I'm all for this.