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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Neonchameleon" data-source="post: 8437269" data-attributes="member: 87792">[USER=58197]@Dausuul[/USER] <a href="https://www.enworld.org/threads/lorraine-williams-is-it-time-for-a-reevaluation.683454/post-8434549" target="_blank">was explicitly commenting on the claim that Williams outright banned playtesting</a>. Which is an explicit claim that has frequently been made and I have read - and if Williams actually did ban playtesting it is a problem at a company that makes games. Your reply was in the context of that.The big issue with this paragraph is that you are assuming the conclusion "that is when the playtesting frequency change happened" when the pace rules material came out actually technically drops when she took over, although only because 1985 was a bumper year. For the rulebooks below I'm using Wikipedia as my source.<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">In 1985 three major rulebooks came out, two of them written by Gygax (Unearthed Arcana and Oriental Adventures), with the third being Legends and Lore (which was mostly Deities & Demigods)</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">1986 had the Dungeon Survival Guide and the Wilderness Survival Guide</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">1987 had the Manual of the Planes and Dragonlance Adventures</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">1988 had Greyhawk Adventures</li> </ul>(This doesn't count adventures). It's a pretty reasonable schedule.Meanwhile the shovelware actually started in 1989  and not specifically because Williams took over but because 2e started. I'll spot 2e the PHB and DMG and the 1995 reprints. Plus adventures and the Monstrous Compendiums. But 2e also had:<ul> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">Two Complete Book Of X each year from 1989 to 1995 - counted but not named below</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">1990 (6): Forgotten Realms Adventures, Legends & Lore, Campaign Sourcebook and Catacomb Guide, The Castle Guide</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">1991 (5): Tome of Magic, Arms & Equipment Guide, Vikings Campaign Sourcebook</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">1992 (7!): Dark Sun: Dragon Kings, Monster Mythology, Celts Campaign Sourcebook, Charlemagne's Paladins CSB, A Mighty Fortress CSB</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">1993 (5): (Not counted: Monstrous Manual). Book of Artifacts, Creative Campaigning, The Glory of Rome CSB</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">1994 (5): The Complete Book of Villains, Age of Heroes CSB, The Crusades CSB</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ul">1995 (6): Player's Option: Combat and Tactics, PO: Skills and Power. DM's Option: High Level Campaigns, The Complete Book of Necromancers</li> </ul>This, of course, doesn't count adventures, settings, or boxed sets. Settings again don't change much when she took over with Kara-Tur being the only one between 1986 and the launch of 2e although the Realms should really be counted; one every other year is about the Gygax era's average. But 1989-1995 averages one a year (Spelljammer, Hollow World, Al Quadim, Birthright, Council of Wyrms, Planescape).And I'm pretty sure that TSR never really had anything even close to the resources needed to playtest all that.Which leads to two questions:<ol> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Why did TSR decide to make 2e a shovelware edition?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">Why do you, [USER=2525]@Mistwell[/USER] , blame Lorraine Williams personally for this? What insider information do you have that she was the driving force behind this?</li> <li data-xf-list-type="ol">If Lorraine Williams was responsible for the increased output of 2e does that mean that you will also praise her for what was good about 2e because it was her vision that lead to the change in approach and producing a lot of interesting stuff?</li> </ol></blockquote>

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