Feeroper
Explorer
Then a lot of more tidbits follow about an OPEN PLAYTEST which will be WONDERFUL!
Then, nearly two weeks later, a con goes up where three dozen people get to actually play this thing. But they can't tell anyone. Because as WotC has just announced, it's an open playtest for everyone!
Sorry, but this cements that once again, WotC botched a nice roll-out of a new edition. The press release was premature, their own announcements don't synch up with what they actually have, everything is pretty hazy, and a lot is inconsistent. To make it worse, people who've been exposed to the material are under an NDA, so they can't clarify the situation either.
I suppose you missed this part on their official website:
"We have begun obtaining feedback from a limited Friends & Family playtest consisting of internal employees and their gaming groups and soon we will be expanding that group to consist of members from our existing body of playtesters. Then at the D&D Experience convention in late January, Wizards of the Coast will conduct a special playtest of ideas currently in development. The D&D Experience will be moving to Gen Con in 2013, so as a convention special this year, we will be offering show attendees a first-look at a draft of the new set of rules. Then beginning sometime in the spring, we will begin open playtesting. Through our web site, we will release a growing set of rules, classes, monsters and other materials for your study and feedback."
This was in their initial article announcing D&D Next. It quite clearly states that there will be a special playtest at DDXP, a first look at a draft of the new rules, not an open playtest. Then in the spring, they will commence with the open playtest.
This was the article they kept bombarding you with. I think alot of confusion could have been cleared up if it was read all the way through. If you still think that starting a new edition off by soliciting feedback from fans during the development process is a bad way to roll out a new edition, what would you suggest be done to improve it?
Edit: Just want to add that when I read this back it seemed like I may sound snarky, but I didnt mean it to sound like that. I just wanted to point out that they have already spelled out what they plan on doing, and so far have stuck to it. I figured you probobly didnt fully read the article they posted about it when it was initially announced. I know the NYT article wasn't as thorough in that way.
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