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EN World Interview With Mike Mearls, Lead Designer of D&D Next
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<blockquote data-quote="Orryn Emrys" data-source="post: 5916463" data-attributes="member: 6799"><p><s></s></p><p><s></s></p><p><s>I agree. Mark's perception is very understandable, however, if you read Mike's comments through the lens of 4E-design-philosophy expectations. This has also been a fear of mine, as the focus on combat in 4E was a serious enough detraction to keep me from indulging.</s></p><p><s></s></p><p><s>That being said, it is possible that comments which suggest a focus on combat are intended to mollify any fears that characters who are built with emphasis on other pillars will become superfluous in combat encounters. My group has always been interested in characterization and role-playing, so combat abilities are often a secondary interest (if that), but we have noted during campaign play that some characters can easily begin to feel outclassed and useless when faced with any given combat scenario, because they have a stunted ability to contribute alongside their fellows.</s></p><p><s></s></p><p><s>Often, of course, these same characters outshine their allies in other areas, but combat is always a relevant portion of any game that includes it because it is so very time-consuming at the table. It's one thing for the fighter to feel out-of-place in a social engagement that takes 20 or 30 minutes to resolve, quite another for the noncombative player to feel useless for a couple hours of real time while a combat encounter is resolved.</s></p><p><s></s></p><p><s>Naturally, I tend to limit combats in my game, but many of my players enjoy them and like to build capable PCs. But they also tend to focus on character personalities and motives, so they are typically just as engaged as everyone else when their PC is out of his/her depth. After all, poor social skills still lend themselves to entertaining roleplaying opportunities.</s></p><p><s></s></p><p><s>Poor combat skills, on the other hand, often lead to a slightly less enjoyable experience.</s></p><p><s></s></p><p><s>I continue to be cautiously optimistic, and I am looking forward to the playtest.</s></p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Orryn Emrys, post: 5916463, member: 6799"] [s] I agree. Mark's perception is very understandable, however, if you read Mike's comments through the lens of 4E-design-philosophy expectations. This has also been a fear of mine, as the focus on combat in 4E was a serious enough detraction to keep me from indulging. That being said, it is possible that comments which suggest a focus on combat are intended to mollify any fears that characters who are built with emphasis on other pillars will become superfluous in combat encounters. My group has always been interested in characterization and role-playing, so combat abilities are often a secondary interest (if that), but we have noted during campaign play that some characters can easily begin to feel outclassed and useless when faced with any given combat scenario, because they have a stunted ability to contribute alongside their fellows. Often, of course, these same characters outshine their allies in other areas, but combat is always a relevant portion of any game that includes it because it is so very time-consuming at the table. It's one thing for the fighter to feel out-of-place in a social engagement that takes 20 or 30 minutes to resolve, quite another for the noncombative player to feel useless for a couple hours of real time while a combat encounter is resolved. Naturally, I tend to limit combats in my game, but many of my players enjoy them and like to build capable PCs. But they also tend to focus on character personalities and motives, so they are typically just as engaged as everyone else when their PC is out of his/her depth. After all, poor social skills still lend themselves to entertaining roleplaying opportunities. Poor combat skills, on the other hand, often lead to a slightly less enjoyable experience. I continue to be cautiously optimistic, and I am looking forward to the playtest.[/s] [/QUOTE]
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