jodyjohnson
Adventurer
I was hoping one of the results of the 175,000 player playtest and the surveys would be some insight on the various ways players want the rules to function and a tool to help players recognize, challenge, or validate where they may come down on the Role of Rules.
WotC is in a unique position to know all the permutations of ways D&D players want their rules to create the game they really want to play (whereas the message boards reveal where a specific subset lean).
If the Bartle Test (Achievers, Explorers, Socializers, and Killers) is useful as a way to analyse how a player wants to primarily play a game, maybe WotC could take their feedback from during the playtest and the upcoming post-release survey (which is primarily for assessing the need for errata) to generate a tool for assessing how individuals psychologically want the rules to function as opposed to how they may answer the questions directly.
For example, during one of Morrus' interviews with Monte Cook, Monte discusses how an AD&D DM may say they want "Combat as War" (planning and tactics used to minimize risk) but may insert challenge when things are too easy or the plan works too well. That behavior is antithetical to that style of play.
Or an "attrition-style" DM finds himself bothered by an encounter that requires few resources and leaves the party with no damage taken. Where the DM isn't satisfied if the party isn't half-dead after a major encounter.
Now individually many of these issues are at the core of some of the biggest edition wars and arguments on the internet. So tact is needed.
I suppose we could list them out, but I expect that things would quickly spin out of control as the battle lines are drawn over the mere labeling of our differences.
Would some sort of Play-style assessment from WotC be useful? It seems they spent a lot of time talking about supporting the various play-styles. It would be nice to have a tool for gauging where our preferences lie more complicated than a simple survey on yes-or-no responses to hot-button topics.
Considering personally it has taken decades (5+ editions) to really sort out where my preferences are, it seems it would be helpful to have a way to recognize those play style questions faster.
WotC is in a unique position to know all the permutations of ways D&D players want their rules to create the game they really want to play (whereas the message boards reveal where a specific subset lean).
If the Bartle Test (Achievers, Explorers, Socializers, and Killers) is useful as a way to analyse how a player wants to primarily play a game, maybe WotC could take their feedback from during the playtest and the upcoming post-release survey (which is primarily for assessing the need for errata) to generate a tool for assessing how individuals psychologically want the rules to function as opposed to how they may answer the questions directly.
For example, during one of Morrus' interviews with Monte Cook, Monte discusses how an AD&D DM may say they want "Combat as War" (planning and tactics used to minimize risk) but may insert challenge when things are too easy or the plan works too well. That behavior is antithetical to that style of play.
Or an "attrition-style" DM finds himself bothered by an encounter that requires few resources and leaves the party with no damage taken. Where the DM isn't satisfied if the party isn't half-dead after a major encounter.
Now individually many of these issues are at the core of some of the biggest edition wars and arguments on the internet. So tact is needed.
I suppose we could list them out, but I expect that things would quickly spin out of control as the battle lines are drawn over the mere labeling of our differences.
Would some sort of Play-style assessment from WotC be useful? It seems they spent a lot of time talking about supporting the various play-styles. It would be nice to have a tool for gauging where our preferences lie more complicated than a simple survey on yes-or-no responses to hot-button topics.
Considering personally it has taken decades (5+ editions) to really sort out where my preferences are, it seems it would be helpful to have a way to recognize those play style questions faster.