archaeo
2014-08-26, 04:21 PM
EN World's Michael Evans interviewed Mearls at GenCon (http://www.enworld.org/forum/content.php?1866-30-Minute-With-D-D-5E-s-Mike-Mearls-Playtests-OSR-Piracy-PDFS-Settings), and while Mearls has been basically talking to anyone that will listen to him about 5e, he drops some interesting tidbits here that I haven't seen him trot out very often lately.
First, he covers 5e development, spending a lot of time comparing 4e development to the current edition. In his view, 4e was an attempt to get ahead of the curve but created what he calls "discontinuity," especially for gamers who dip into editions instead of following each publication. His admission that 4e would've likely been more successful as a side product than a main D&D entry is very interesting, given that it echoes a pretty common thread in the more moderate edition war arguments.
He ends that first question talking about exploring disruptive rules in D&D offshoots. In my mind, this only strengthens my opinion that Mearls will seek to address "the 4e playstyle," if not in the DMG then in future rules supplements or separate products. Sell a "core" D&D that keeps all the sacred cows on life support while creating a sense of "continuity" for the big market seeking iconic D&D while allowing the enthusiast players who need robust balance and tight game design to create exactly the tools they need via supplemental and optional rules. A goal we have to wait and see if they can achieve, but hey.
Mearls also addresses piracy and PDFs in a funny way, talking about his own piracy of early Ultima games and sort of admitting that scans will always be out there. His basic point -- sell a beautiful quality product and accept that piracy happens -- seems like a fundamentally decent and realistic one. He also talks a bit about 5e's digital future, more or less saying "we're still figuring it out." But, he says:
Because we asked that it be iOS, Android, PC, so maybe you can just download the app and then buy the say Fighter packet and however we’re breaking it down, so are we really going to need to sell a separate PDF because actually the best way is to buy the tool, and the tool is also populating my database and I can make characters, then maybe I just don’t necessarily need the PDF.
While he says they basically are waiting to see what Trapdoor does before they start releasing any of their own digital stuff (outside Basic, of course), I think this is a pretty clear indication that the app store model I've been talking about is for sure the wave of the future. It also looks like, for the time being, digital is going to be via DungeonScape. Initial reviews seem nice; I think it remains to be seen how it pans out. (Worries about proprietary ebook formats and whatnot strike me as wholly specious; the Internet doesn't forget things, and if WotC/Trapdoor abandons its customers like that, any diehard 5e players will find that content elsewhere.) Mearls also talks about ancillary digital tools a bit, and there's a certain suggestion that WotC will just be looking to fill the holes in Trapdoor's coverage.
(Worth pointing out: Mearls' earlier L&L on the OGL and fan-created content (http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/gazing-crystal-ball) hints at stuff we still haven't really seen him tease out since. Not here, not anywhere.)
Which sort of brings us to the final big point, in which Mearls says that WotC will "just focus on the Core Rules, on the product line, and on the digital tools, and make sure that they all work together. But then we can rely on those outside studios to bring their own real specialty to the table." It's worth reading the rest of it, but to me, this definitely sounds like a third party model where WotC doesn't bother with a general license and instead prefers direct partnerships. For those concerned about a lack of rules development, this sure seems to suggest that WotC wants to focus on rules while letting select studios have the keys to the kingdom otherwise.
But I don't know. It's still just Mearls talking as fast as he can. In my opinion, whatever he's saying, it should be abundantly clear that he definitely means well. No matter what your stance, I think you have to respect the fact that Mearls really has given these issues a lot of thought, and has sought to do his best to do right by D&D fans.
TL;DR: Mearls gave an interview, it was okay.
First, he covers 5e development, spending a lot of time comparing 4e development to the current edition. In his view, 4e was an attempt to get ahead of the curve but created what he calls "discontinuity," especially for gamers who dip into editions instead of following each publication. His admission that 4e would've likely been more successful as a side product than a main D&D entry is very interesting, given that it echoes a pretty common thread in the more moderate edition war arguments.
He ends that first question talking about exploring disruptive rules in D&D offshoots. In my mind, this only strengthens my opinion that Mearls will seek to address "the 4e playstyle," if not in the DMG then in future rules supplements or separate products. Sell a "core" D&D that keeps all the sacred cows on life support while creating a sense of "continuity" for the big market seeking iconic D&D while allowing the enthusiast players who need robust balance and tight game design to create exactly the tools they need via supplemental and optional rules. A goal we have to wait and see if they can achieve, but hey.
Mearls also addresses piracy and PDFs in a funny way, talking about his own piracy of early Ultima games and sort of admitting that scans will always be out there. His basic point -- sell a beautiful quality product and accept that piracy happens -- seems like a fundamentally decent and realistic one. He also talks a bit about 5e's digital future, more or less saying "we're still figuring it out." But, he says:
Because we asked that it be iOS, Android, PC, so maybe you can just download the app and then buy the say Fighter packet and however we’re breaking it down, so are we really going to need to sell a separate PDF because actually the best way is to buy the tool, and the tool is also populating my database and I can make characters, then maybe I just don’t necessarily need the PDF.
While he says they basically are waiting to see what Trapdoor does before they start releasing any of their own digital stuff (outside Basic, of course), I think this is a pretty clear indication that the app store model I've been talking about is for sure the wave of the future. It also looks like, for the time being, digital is going to be via DungeonScape. Initial reviews seem nice; I think it remains to be seen how it pans out. (Worries about proprietary ebook formats and whatnot strike me as wholly specious; the Internet doesn't forget things, and if WotC/Trapdoor abandons its customers like that, any diehard 5e players will find that content elsewhere.) Mearls also talks about ancillary digital tools a bit, and there's a certain suggestion that WotC will just be looking to fill the holes in Trapdoor's coverage.
(Worth pointing out: Mearls' earlier L&L on the OGL and fan-created content (http://dnd.wizards.com/articles/features/gazing-crystal-ball) hints at stuff we still haven't really seen him tease out since. Not here, not anywhere.)
Which sort of brings us to the final big point, in which Mearls says that WotC will "just focus on the Core Rules, on the product line, and on the digital tools, and make sure that they all work together. But then we can rely on those outside studios to bring their own real specialty to the table." It's worth reading the rest of it, but to me, this definitely sounds like a third party model where WotC doesn't bother with a general license and instead prefers direct partnerships. For those concerned about a lack of rules development, this sure seems to suggest that WotC wants to focus on rules while letting select studios have the keys to the kingdom otherwise.
But I don't know. It's still just Mearls talking as fast as he can. In my opinion, whatever he's saying, it should be abundantly clear that he definitely means well. No matter what your stance, I think you have to respect the fact that Mearls really has given these issues a lot of thought, and has sought to do his best to do right by D&D fans.
TL;DR: Mearls gave an interview, it was okay.