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Message: <blockquote data-quote="StinkyEttin" data-source="post: 6742750" data-attributes="member: 6786802">As with the game itself, the specific rule trumps the general rule. The general rule is that mid-season guidance isn’t provided. Season 4, specifically, will have guidance forth-coming. I suspect this is largely in part to the release of the Sword Coast Adventurer’s guide. As has been the case with every single published product to date, the intent is to include the material in the program. The timeline just didn’t mesh up this time around. And because of this, adjustment is warranted. Will this always be the case? I assume it won’t be.As far as malevolent silence goes, we get the material when we get it. Speculating on what we’re going to get is bad practice. If I were to say that the EE player’s companion would be completely allowed without restriction and then Wizards were to say that everything except Aarakocra were allowed, the uproar would be epic in scale. So you’re right, we are usually silent on upcoming updates—right up to the point where we can say definitively what is going to happen. That’s because I want to be correct in the information I give; the alternative is too horrifying to consider as a viable alternative.We keep going back to “pay-to-win”. In releasing special materials (Epics and special certificates) to conventions, they and the attendees are the winners. The folks that put on these awesome shows and draw in huge crowds. They drum up large-format support for the program. That draw deserves special attention. Whether or not Preston Van Kennedy IV (a made-up, rich-sounding name I just made up) is able to fly his Leer jet to whatever convention he wants to go to, gets a cert out of it is not indicative of the purpose behind why we do what we do. Most of the con certs are given out at the local, smaller cons by the volunteers that sacrifice their own time and money (often times as much and more than it costs for the players, themselves to attend) to represent the program. The certs are a way to draw more folks in and get the program out there.I can tell you, like I’ve told others, that I am *exceptionally* picky about how I dole out the small allotment of certificates I am given. The best way not to receive a certificate is to ask for one. So chances are, if I ran a table for Preston Van Kennedy IV and his entourage; it’s fairly likely that they’d leave without a certificate. Kids, first-time D&D players, and those players that demonstrate a ton of enthusiasm and give me a memorable experience are those who I reward. I’m so picky about how I give my swag out, that I’ve still got Season 1 dice and Inspiration Tokens. Pay-to-win is a myth. A legend. It’s the thing that crooks tell their kids about. It is the Keyser Söze of D&D.That works as well.The DM may make rules interpretations (can a flaming sphere be conjured on the intersection of a grid, do a monk’s unarmed attacks count as finesse weapons, can I wear a shield and benefit from the Duelist Fighting Style) to their heart’s content that is their domain. We do issue rules regarding the program at large from time to time. While not a personal fan of the equipment rules, it provides a single, consistent rule for old-school gamers and for new players. I cannot speak to why Wizards made the decision they did, but that’s what we’ve got. As far as what monsters can and can’t be used with your various conjure/wild shape/animal companion abilities, the current rule is an expansion on what was previously allowed. Previously, the player did not have access to the monster manual (aside from the beast Appendix) for character options (specifically the various conjure spells). But rather than have the players have full tilt to the entire book that may or may not include things that are not relevant to the setting, we prescribed an order of permissibility. This didn’t sit well with some, and worked fine with others. But for the program as a whole, it was determined that having that list in order of permissibility worked best. So, that’s what happened.What happens at a DM’s table is largely up to the DM; there are a large number of different articles and op-ed pieces posted on the website as was mentioned earlier that clarify and provide really good information. The DMs are manning the proverbial trenches representing the program at its lowest level. Sometimes that responsibility is easy and sometimes it is not. We can’t please everyone but we can try and please as many people as we can. So far, we’ve been lucky; while there are those who don’t approve of what we do or the reasons why we do it, they are (or at least seem to be) in the minority. In the meantime, we will continue to receive feedback, discuss it, and pass it up the chain. Some of that may work out in the favor of the folks that disagree with us, and some of it won’t.So, using your analogy, while we may be the Chief of Police, we are pretty laid back. We aren’t the arch-typical “Damnit, you destroyed half a city block! Turn in your badge!” sort that you see in the movie. We’re the ones that let their subordinates use their own discretion while providing them a few things to be mindful of. Sometimes that’s well received, and sometimes it’s not. But I have to answer to the Mayor in case the aforementioned city block gets destroyed.And I did, in fact, say all of that with a straight face. <img src="https://cdn.jsdelivr.net/joypixels/assets/8.0/png/unicode/64/1f609.png" class="smilie smilie--emoji" loading="lazy" width="64" height="64" alt=";)" title="Wink    ;)"  data-smilie="2"data-shortname=";)" /></blockquote>

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