Interview with Scott Rouse, Chris Perkins & Bill Slavicsek

[Razz]

Is that Spellfire as in the ability in the Forgotten Realms setting that utilizes raw magic, or is that Spellfire as in some form of gaming material I haven't heard of...?

 

[AdmundfortGeographer]

Is that Spellfire as in the ability in the Forgotten Realms setting that utilizes raw magic, or is that Spellfire as in some form of gaming material I haven't heard of...?

I'm guessing he's referring to the short-lived tradable card game competitor to Magic: The Gathering that TSR created.

 

[rironin]

While I have to echo a bit of concern over the fact that I didn't learn too much from that interview, in the words of someone pretending to be Sean Connery, "I'll play your game you rogue!"

Here is what I would like to see from a DI:

• Leverage the Online Format - Wikify everything - classes, prestige classes, monsters, stats, abilities, etc, all linked in to take away any semblance of virtual page-turning. I'm sure you've already thought of this, and even though it's simple, it's probably one of the greatest advantages the online content can provide over a book.
• Experiment with Adventure Formats - Seems to me, one of the toughest things about giving a DM an adventure (especially one that's non-linear or has many potential branches) is formatting it into a magazine or booklet in a way that makes sense. Web page navigation could probably provide a whole new format that makes getting the right information into the DM's hands much easier. Of course, this would only benefit those of us who DM with a computer nearby.
• Dice Rolling & Table Generation -As new content is added to a subscriber's vault of articles and resources, seamlessly incorporate this new content into tables - treasures, locations, etc. With treasure especially, I could enjoy being able to instantly roll up a treasure generated from a list of everything in the SRD, combined with all the new items and loot that I've been exposed to with my DI subscription. Nearly any bit of data in the DI content could be massaged and collated this way without any effort on the subscriber's part, if the infrastructure is in place.

That's about it really. Others have expressed disinterest in the bells & whistles of the internet age, but I don't see any point to a DI unless you play those bells & whistles to the hilt.

As others have mentioned, I can't imagine myself being able to accept content that is rented or difficult to manage outside of the website's confines. I know that people who exploit free access to data give you guys headaches, but I can't part with my money unless the content becomes my own. If you offer tools for generating creatures, characters, etc, I'm fine with only accessing the tool if I'm paying for the content - so long as I can download and keep the things I make with those tools, to use and enjoy long after my subscription has ended.

 

[the Lorax]

Ok, first - Morrus. Thanks for whipping the cries of an angry mob into something coherent. Most appreciated.

Second, Scott Rouse, Chris Perkins & Bill Slavicsek. Thank you for taking time out to answer some of the concerns of the online community. I'm sure that many other will bring up that they would've liked to have recieved SOMETHING about the new DI - even if there was only links to concept sketchs of the opening page or some such. Clearly regular previews of D&D minis keeps people excited and interested in the miniatures side of things. Some eye candy of some sort would be a nice way to introduce the DI. I applaud your efforts to allow Paizo to utilize this time and not distract from the final issues of Dragon and Dungeon nor distract from the announcement of the Pathfinder series.

I'd like to comment on this -

We have a lot of ideas that we’re happy with, but let me turn the question around. What would you hope for? What would make this exciting and useful for you? Another question for the community: How much of the magazine content were you able to use in your campaign? How much work did you have to do to accomplish that? If this new incarnation of the magazines could encompass anything you could want, what would that be?

Hope for, exciting and useful? Well off the top of my head -

• Completely searchable

• Include a variety of online tools to speed play or reduce preparation workload

• Usable as I see fit - any type of DRM quickly becomes a deal breaker

• Similar or better quality content to what Dungeon and Dragon have been providing - just more of it

• Adventures that update and scale automaticly based upon my input of character level

• Perpetual access to material I've already paid for

• Access to content even when not online

• Reviews of gaming related products

• Hyperlinks galore

• Digital versions of maps - including maps without location keys - that can be printed and used as a map on my table

• Direct links to message board topics - such as how individual posters used the content

• Active/live editing - if there are errors in the content, they should be corrected - and the corrected version should be what is available

How much content have I been able to use?
That's hard to say. Some issues of Dungon have had zero adventures I have wanted to use. Some I've used every one, heck I have a couple that I've used as backdrop for my campaign - as in "News from the other side of the kingdom - Druids attacked and overran a border fort"
Dragon is even harder to measure. Reading new ideas, even those I dont use, keeps me excited about this hobby. Often a small portion of an article will spark some idea of my own.

How much work did you have to do to accomplish that?
Tools that allow easy modification to an adventure would be amazing. If I dont want an Illithid in an adventure because they dont exisist in my game, something that lets me easily swap it out in whatever format I bring to my table (print or on screen) would be amazing.

 

[GAAAHHH]

Thanks for the interview. This clears up some of my questions and I'm not quite as upset as I was before. I will continue to buy Wizards of the Coast products, and I no longer wish ill health on anyone over this. I doubt i'll pay for the DI, but who knows? I may change my mind if I like the coming previews.

 

[Shade]

What I'd most like to see:

• The continued support of "dead" campaign settings. The Campaign Classics issues were always among my favorites (and apparently were top sellers)
• The continuation of the Demonomicon articles...but only if James Jacobs writes them (unless he chooses to pass the torch)
• The continued mix of new monsters and updated monsters from past editions. MMIII had only a small handful of monsters from past editions, and MMIV had none. There are still a great number of classic creatures out there that can easily go toe-to-toe with many of the new ones presented in the books listed earlier (quickling anyone?)
• The retention of the current talent pool of the magazines. I hope you'll keep accepting the bulk of the articles from the slush pile, rather than doling out assignments to in-house staff. There's plenty of cross-pollination now between WotC and Paizo contributers, but I'd hate to lose some of the up-and-comers because they didn't go through the WotC mailroom. I think the fierce competition is a large reason both magazines have been in a golden age lately.
• Keep working in all the wonderful Easter Eggs, updating villains and locales from D&D's rich past, and so on. Nostalgia is a powerful force for us veteran gamers, and really no detriment to new gamers who may never even realize what they're seeing has come before.

What I don't want to see (and will factor into what I'm willing to pay):

• Software to do the "heavy lifting". I have no interest in character generators, monster generators, online tabletops, etc. I understand the desire for these by some folks, but I'd rather see it as a separate service so those of us who just want to keep subscribing to what we've got now in the magazines don't have to pay for additional unwanted content.
• Greater focus on Eberron and Forgotten Realms. One of the main reasons I subscribed to Dungeon after years of picking and choosing issues was the strong focus on the core/generic setting. I think the current ratio of support for these settings in Dragon and Dungeon are about as much as I'd tolerate.
• More "how to" articles on playing the game. As a veteran gamer, I have no use for these articles. I appreciate that folks new to the game need some help, but that's probably best served in the free portion of your web content (as it is now). Dragon and Dungeon haven't focused much on entry gamers, other than the occasional Class Acts with handy reference sheets.

Basically, I'd like to keep subscribing to Dragon and Dungeon with the content they've been providing for the past few years. If I have to get them online, then so be it. But much loss of any of that content to make room for interactive aids or how-to articles will probably send my gaming dollar elsewhere.

Thanks for asking, and listening.

 

[Lalato]

I would love to see a Print on Demand option to go along with the Online content. So if I ever want to add some of the content to my personal collection, I can order a POD book with just the stuff I want in it. That would solve some of the issues of portability and "ownership" for me.

--sam

 

[caudor]

[*]Software to do the "heavy lifting". I have no interest in character generators, monster generators, online tabletops, etc. I understand the desire for these by some folks, but I'd rather see it as a separate service so those of us who just want to keep subscribing to what we've got now in the magazines don't have to pay for additional unwanted content.

Basically, I'd like to keep subscribing to Dragon and Dungeon with the content they've been providing for the past few years. If I have to get them online, then so be it. But much loss of any of that content to make room for interactive aids or how-to articles will probably send my gaming dollar elsewhere.

Thanks for asking, and listening.

Good point. As one of the folks who wants to see a character generator, virtual tabletop, etc., I'd be willing to pay a little extra over the basic subscriber to get those tools. Perhaps a compromise would work: adjust the cost of entry based on levels of interest. Something like a silver vs gold subscription option.

 

[lkj]

Thanks for putting the interview together, Morrus. And thanks for the responses from Wizards folks (and Scott's presence in this thread). An interesting read. I'm mostly a lurker, but having you folks post keeps me reading. And, from time to time, gets me to check out products I wouldn't have otherwise. At any rate . . .

Certainly, in and of itself, the interview isn't enough information to decide whether DI will be an adequate replacement for Dungeon and Dragon for me (emphasis on the 'for me'). But, in my opinion, of course it wasn't. I'll decide whether the DI is worth my dollar as they reveal info over the coming months. I'll decide, as a matter of idle curiousity, whether I think it was a good move to replace the mags or not after the DI has been in action for awhile. I suppose it's fine to speculate about whether they are totally unprepared or not or whether the DI will suck or not based on completely inadequate information (since we really have no idea what they have already planned or how far along it is-- and yes, I know it's cuz they didn't and probably can't say). I guess it can also be fun to argue about whether or not they blew a PR opportunity. It's an internet message board after all. But, hey, not really my bag. In the end, the proof will be in the pudding. I hope it's good pudding.

My one thought/concern (at this stage) has to do with the character generator. I'm a busy fellow these days. I don't have the time to prepare that I used to. I use Etools (and at times PCGen) heavily to do my prep. I'm really not jazzed about a character generator that is only accessible online. I too often find myself wanting to do a bit of D&D prep in odd moments where I don't have internet access. Or at least where I don't have to worry about accessing some site. I also like to tweak things a bit to fit particular house rules and such. I'm sure it's possible, but I find it hard to believe that an online-only generator will allow that sort of customizability.

In truth, despite the setbacks, I'm really hoping the Codemonkey folks pull off the software they've been working on for so long. What they describe would serve a great deal of my needs-- from customizable npc generation to campaign management to world building. I mention this because these things are the sorts of tools that I'm interested in and have some online applicability.

Perhaps there's a place for collaboration here? Probably not, but it's worth a mention. I also really like what Smiteworks has done with Fantasy Grounds. I use that fairly regularly to game remotely. WotC would have to offer something pretty special to have me reconsider the investments I've already made in that software. Perhaps, this is the downside in Wizards being late to the game (in the sense that I think something like the Mastertools concept and virtual gaming should have been better supported long ago).

Blah, blah.

A few thoughts.

AD

 

[megamania]

Too early to say much.

Regardless, my computer can not handle lots of images so this new direction looks disasterous for me still. It takes 10+ minutes just to load up the WoTC home page.


It seems the potencial IS there however for a quality product. I just wish they didn't feel they needed to kill off Dragon and Dungeon to do it. I think they could have co-existed.

Looking forward to more news.


and again...thankyou folks for taking the time to deal with us and put together this interview.