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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Garnfellow" data-source="post: 3784966" data-attributes="member: 1223">I'm pretty ambivalent and trying hard to keep an open mind. It's nigh impossible to evaluate the tidbits we're getting because there is really no context. None. I understand that Wizards is trying to embrace new communication methods with the blogging, but I have to wonder if in this situation -- trying to gradually release information about a revision to an existing game with a huge existing user base -- it's just the wrong medium to transmit this message to this audience. Remember when 3.5 was being previewed, and people were jumping off bridges when they first saw the mystic theurge prestige class? It sure looked horribly broken, but what no one outside of Wizards knew was that with the 3.5 nerfing of buff spells, the class was really quite reasonable. So at this point, I think the best thing one can do is listen to the broad goals that are being described and try to ignore the details because of the total lack of context. And truth be told, I really like the high level goals that have been stated, but I have been pretty underwhelmed by some of the specific changes they have previewed.My biggest concern isn't so much the mechanics: based on the glimpses we've gotten from recent books like the PHBII, MIC, and Spell Compendium, I think the Wizards shop has a team of some of the best and most innovative d20 mechanical designers around. My concern is that, while these folks are great at developing elegant and fun mechanical bits, for my money they really aren't so good at the story piece. Frankly, I have hated most of the fluff in the recent WotC books: I find most of their story elements incredibly bland and uninspiring. I know they like to think of themselves as storytellers, but I'm not so sure that's their strong suit.Take Mearls, who is like unto a God of d20 design. I probably have most of the books he has worked on, and that's a LOT of freaking books. And I can think of dozens of lovely little mechanical innovations he developed during his freelance years. But I can't for the life of me think of a single cool NPC name or an encounter or bit of fluff that he wrote. Maybe I have selective memory, but maybe that's just not his bag.The sole exception are the WotC books that were largely done by freelancers like Erik Mona or James Jacobs. (Or you, Ari!) Now, the Paizo boys might not be the absolute best mechanical designers out there, but their fluff beats the crap out of anything I've seen from the Wizards shop. They know just how to toss in a beautiful little easter egg or descriptive passage that usually sticks in my mind long after I've read it.</blockquote>

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