Dragon 397: Letters To The Editor Up

[Saracenus]

Dragon 397: Letters to the Editor

Very interesting read. Especially #3.

#1 & #2 Takeaway:

• Dark Sun style themes for the rest of us are coming via Dragon by April or May! Yes please.
• They need authors for specific types of articles... start polishing your pitches.
• Sounds like they are not going to fill holes in less popular classes.
• Combat pace is going to be up front and center.

#3 Takeaway:

• They have started updating articles individually starting with issue Dragon 395 and Dungeon 186.
• Steve Winter's twitter account is the auto notify, otherwise you will need to look at the table of contents every once and a while to see if your article has been updated.

Happy gaming,

 

[Aegeri]

#1 feels like a hand-wave to an extremely important issue with 4E and how certain classes have (not) been supported.

#2 is just a logical question because themes were a fantastic addition to the game. One of the things they've inserted that felt like it should have always been there from the start. I would have made them a priority personally.

#3 Twaddle.

 

[Derulbaskul]

Once again, what for Paizo would be a messageboard post is provided by WotC as part of DDi's "content".

Edit: It seems I wasn't particularly clear.

This should have been a messageboard post. For Paizo it would have been a messageboard post. It should not be considered part of the "content" of DDi, just as the atrocious Ampersand should simply be a blog or messageboard post.

 

[Lalato]

Once again, what for Paizo would be a messageboard post is provided by WotC as part of DDi's "content".

I don't understand what you mean by this. There is a "Discuss" link at the bottom of the page that leads you to the forums where you can either find an ongoing discussion or start one.

 

[Incenjucar]

"state for the record that we'd like to publish more articles on getting the most from what's already in the game rather than loading more onto it, but writers for that type of material seem to be a rare breed, and we're not sure why."

This is actually kind of upsetting.

Their reply to "Seekers and runepriests need support, stop focusing on things that already have lots of support" is "For some reason, nobody is writing articles on how to live with what you have instead of wanting more support."

 

[Aegeri]

Also, I suspect the answer to number 2 is inherently obvious. It's not hard to reskin things that you want to use if you have a bit of experience and a DM who allows that. People want to create new content and options, particularly for classes that would actually want them - as opposed to explaining the millionth fighter article that nobody cares about on reflavoring spear thrust. Really question 1 and question 2 are not incompatible the more I think about it.

Q1: Stop publishing more stuff for things overloaded with it for gods sake.

Q2: Please bring in new options like themes for stuff that doesn't have it please.

To me I would interpret that the person asking for Q2 would not mind classes that are poorly supported getting stuff for them - just classes that are already so bloated already they don't NEED more support.

 

[ppaladin123]

I didn't appreciate the flippant dismissal of the first letter. Sure it was hyperbolic in tone, but it raised a good point.

 

[Aegeri]

Yeah just think of those poor players making PHB1 characters, with all their billions of feats and options available. One can't bear the thought of publishing any other feat or powers in the CB as long as the PHB classes are well supported. Who cares how much is published for those under supported classes anyway? Nobody plays them because they have hardly any options to begin with! Why on earth would giving them cool new options do anything? I mean just think of the poor fighters who may see content for other classes cluttering up their CB. Won't someone think of them and all their options they already have?

Clearly what we need is someone to describe how to reflavor the existing power cleave, into hitting an enemy and farting so fouly upon another opponent that it gives up the fight and simply dies. This is what we need more of. Not mechanical support for several classes, which really could warrant some support. Support that would not add any more feat/power bloat to characters that are - by definition - feat/power bloated already anyway. I mean it's not like Wizards would be releasing an entire book next month with more powers for the Wizard, the PHB1 class with some of the most support in the entire...

Oh...

Wait....

Spoiler

I so apologize for the scathing sarcasm here, but the more I think about the responses to those questions the more angry and confused I simply become at what exact thought processes are going on at wizards. Really guys, how often do you have to republish stuff from the god damn PHB? You're already doing it multiple times coming up AGAIN with the fighter/cleric etc things from the canceled book. Isn't it just a little bit fair and okay to consider giving the classes that have been largely ignored something? Anything?

 

[delericho]

This should have been a messageboard post.

I disagree. One of the major (and, IMO, valid) criticisms of WotC lately is that they're not doing enough to communicate with the fans. By publishing "Letters to the Editor" and "Rule of Three" they are at least providing some communication.

It may not be much, but by picking even just three letters (or questions) per month, they are least providing a guaranteed means of direct communication with the relevant people. And that's important.

I whole-heartedly support these additions to the DDI.

 

[kaomera]

This should have been a messageboard post. For Paizo it would have been a messageboard post. It should not be considered part of the "content" of DDi, just as the atrocious Ampersand should simply be a blog or messageboard post.

I disagree. The WotC message boards are so over-crowded that using them is an absolute pain, and I'm not signing up for twitter or bothering with someone's blog. Yes, part of what arrives in Dungeon & Dragon each month is basically blogs, but at least I can find and read it. And I don't care if WotC considers that "magazine content", I don't; I don't think the lack of content has anything to do with such stuff.