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Message: <blockquote data-quote="howandwhy99" data-source="post: 5641380" data-attributes="member: 3192">I know Mr. Mearls is the head of rules development and his articles have focused a lot on the system end of the game. Plus, the modularity of design he's talking about is a kind of call for more flexibility and diversity of rule creation. Groups could have more choices about the particular game and campaign they will engage in, while still having a robust rule set supporting their desired ends.  That's all well and good.When it comes to thematic elements and settings and adventures and whatnot though, I think we've entered the realm of the story team. Perhaps someone could point out a column by the head of the story development team? Not new story elements, but a writer talking about how they decide on great elements of story design. I guess "Design & Development" does this a bit.What I'm getting at is great authors are as difficult to find as great rule designers. Magic: the Gathering was made by a pretty darn smart mathematician, but he's not the guy I would want authoring the next Dark Sun or Eberron. If they really want to attract larger, more diverse audiences, then I'd say court successful authors (and I don't mean simply contracted properties). Powerful writing is a honed skill and really could be harmonized with such a modular rule set as is being suggested. And when all the artistic elements of the book, visual arts, lettering, mapping, typography, and all the rules are focused on evoking the story element, then new audiences begin to see individual works as uniquely theirs.  I know branding and uniformity of art and layout are the current norm. But with a more customizable core rule set we would get the opportunity for a more customizable story design as well.  Imagine a book that looks, reads, and is illustrated as an old AD&D product. How about the original Planescape 2E products? Imagine a new work by a professional author who, without worrying about the rules, writes his or her unique story into an adventure or setting supplement, which is then configured by the rules designers for its unique play. Weiss's Dragonlance, Greenwood's Forgotten Realms, and other D&D novel series really were bred out of new ways to play D&D. Okay, so I'd love to see a Thieves' World supplement myself, but I think the key here is knowing what the D&D game does well at its core. In a word, for me its heroism, which is pretty big and goes beyond genre fantasy. From such a focused core game, then supplements could tap into the fictional works attracting readers already falling within this scope.I like the modular rules idea, but I don't want to ignore the story side. Such an expansionary design change would allow Wizards to better compete in the aesthetic sphere for attracting new players too.</blockquote>

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