Wednesday Knights Blog

http://games.slashdot.org/article.pl?sid=08/02/18/1459259

Summary:

Why 4th Edition?
- We want to create an online gaming revenue stream.

How long will this edition last?
- 8-10 years

Player’s Online Component? $10-$15/month?!
- Details coming soon

Open Gaming License?
- “Our goal is to allow 3rd party publishers, both large and small, the opportunity to publish products compatible with Dungeons and Dragons 4th Edition.”

Will combat be more streamlined? (Fights at higher levels can take hours)
- “No more “full attack actions”". “No more monster powers hiding in feats, or that require you to look somewhere else to understand what they do.”

Magic Item Requirement? (Characters need to look like Xmas trees to be effective)
- The number to be an effective munchkin is being reduced.

D&D rules look like WOW?
- No kidding. We did our research.

The balance between easy and good?
- Blah blah blah. Constant battle. Blah blah blah.

New content for old Settings?
- “For now, though, we’re focusing on relaunching the Forgotten Realms campaign setting in August of 2008, with the Eberron campaign setting following in 2009.”

Negative Press? (Negative stigma associated with D&D)
- No comment.

Complexity vs. other gaming systems?
- Plug for online gaming service.

DRM?
- “Our DRM philosophy is to be as unobtrusive as possible.”

Character sheets?
- Can be online & tied into online database. Upgraded as online database upgraded.

Arcane/Divine Balance?
- “One of the most significant design goals of 4th Edition was to clarify the roles filled by each of the character classes in the game. Not only does this help prevent one class from being good at too many things–such as the cleric–but it also prevents classes from being unable to accomplish any role effectively (such as the bard or monk). For example, clerics in 4th Edition occupy the “leader” role (sometimes also known as the “healer” or “party buffer” role). Their damage output is decent, but far behind that of the wizard or rogue, and they don’t have the defenses or melee-control abilities of the fighter.”

Who are you trying to please?
- “[]In order for us to continue to please existing players (whose preferences in gaming continue to evolve) and also attract new players (whose needs may be quite different from veteran gamers), the game must keep pace with an enormously volatile and variable marketplace.

D&D has always been a tabletop-based game, and Fourth Edition won’t change that. However, we recognize that people think about games, information storage, and even social gatherings differently now than they did in 1974, and we want the new D&D to recognize and embrace those differences rather than risk becoming obsolete. So now you’ll be able to access your rulebooks online via the Rules Database, craft the perfect look for your PC with the Character Visualizer, and even game with players across town or across the globe on the Digital Game Table.”