WotC Blogs II

[Glyfair]

James Wyatt's latest post gives a look at the day of the story team lead. It's very long (but mostly interesting), so I'll summarize the few hints of 4E...even the ones were sort of knew.

1) Dwarves are in the PHB (no surprise there) which we find out when he discusses they have a new way of describing races in the PHB.

2) There will be a group of monsters called "foulspawn" in the Monster Manual that James recommended be part of the family that includes dolgrim and dolgaunts (Eberron monsters).

3) In a discussion of weapon sizes (ala "how long is a pilum") he mentions there will be medium weapons. More than likely weapon sizes won't be drastically changed.

4) There will be 3 dragons in an upcoming minis set, mentioned when he needs to discuss the design of the dragon for the miniature set.

 

[Andor]

Let's see. Later in the morning I finished up a file I started working on yesterday—a different approach to how we present the races in the Player's Handbook. I made up a mock spread about the dwarves, trying to find ways to present all the things that are cool and exciting about dwarves, the things that appeal to people who play dwarves.

I'm not sure that's a good idea. It sounds cool on the surface, but...

1st. Each race doesn't need to try to sell itself. If we're reading a race description we've probably already bought the book, drop the sales pitch.

2nd. While reading a race description like that might be cool the first 1/2 dozen times, by the 20th time I'm making a dwarf or checking a rules reference I just want to to be able to find the mechanics block as fast as possible, without having to wade through fluff. If there is a solid block of mechanics at the end ala 3.x then fine, but if the crunch is imbeded in the fluff, then it's a problem.

 

[wedgeski]

I'm not sure that's a good idea. It sounds cool on the surface, but...

There's no reason why a racial write-up can't be fun to look at *and* easy to use...

 

[Chris_Nightwing]

I think that giving each race just one page would help locating the relevant rules and fluff when you need it. Secondly, clever use of layout, or sidebars/background colour, tables, whatever is sensible, for the actual mechanics section would make it easy to locate the rules section for each race.

 

[Imaro]

I think that giving each race just one page would help locating the relevant rules and fluff when you need it. Secondly, clever use of layout, or sidebars/background colour, tables, whatever is sensible, for the actual mechanics section would make it easy to locate the rules section for each race.

I agree, but given WotC propensity not too include indexes(yes I know the core books have them) I would also like to suggest using very specific tabs in the outside borders.

 

[Christian]

1st. Each race doesn't need to try to sell itself. If we're reading a race description we've probably already bought the book, drop the sales pitch.

:\ Maybe WotC should publish a PHB with 128 blank pages, except for one in the middle that says, "Gotcha, suckers!" It would be a lot easier than writing a lot of interesting, entertaining, and useful content, right?

Seriously, these 'fluffy' racial descriptions need to be somewhere if they're to be part of the game, and it seems to me that the PHB is the place for them to be.

 

[el-remmen]

I agree, but given WotC propensity not too include indexes(yes I know the core books have them) I would also like to suggest using very specific tabs in the outside borders.

Not to mention that the 3E indexes suh-ucked! So I like that tab idea.

 

[Doug McCrae]

deleted

 

[hong]

I'm not sure that's a good idea. It sounds cool on the surface, but...

1st. Each race doesn't need to try to sell itself. If we're reading a race description we've probably already bought the book, drop the sales pitch.

2nd. While reading a race description like that might be cool the first 1/2 dozen times, by the 20th time I'm making a dwarf or checking a rules reference I just want to to be able to find the mechanics block as fast as possible, without having to wade through fluff. If there is a solid block of mechanics at the end ala 3.x then fine, but if the crunch is imbeded in the fluff, then it's a problem.

That's why you have the SRD. All the crunch, none of the fluff.

 

[Garnfellow]

Strunk and White.

In a blog entry.

Come on.

I'm dead serious. I take it you aren't familiar with the Elements of Style? At 80 pages or so, it should be standard issue for anyone who has to write for a living. And doing a company blog certainly seems like it would qualify.