Slashdot's Rob Rozeboom Interviews D&D Designer Mike Mearls

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Slashdot's Rob Rozeboom Interviews D&D Designer Mike Mearls - Part 2 (video)

Posted by Roblimo on Friday July 27, 2012 @09:07AM from the all-my-imaginary-friends-are-giant-lizards-that-breath-fire dept.

On July 18 we ran Part One of a video conversation (really audio with slides) between Slashdot editor Rob "samzenpus" Rozeboom and Mike Mearls, Senior Manager for the Dungeons and Dragons Design Team. This is the rest of that interview.

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Roll 1 for initiative... by kryliss · 2012-07-27 09:15 · Score: 0

I cast First Post!

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1. Re:Roll 1 for initiative... by LynnwoodRooster · 2012-07-27 13:17 · Score: 1
  
  Looks like the gelatinous cube got you first...
  
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  Browsing at +1 - no ACs, I ignore their posts. So refreshing!
transcription? by bananaquackmoo · 2012-07-27 09:16 · Score: 4, Insightful

Transcribe the video or nobody cares.
1. Re:transcription? by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-28 01:22 · Score: 0
  
  Transcribe the video or nobody cares.
  This.
Re:Ugh, more off-topic video junk by syockit · 2012-07-27 09:19 · Score: 3, Insightful

Why won't an interview with the designer of a game, that many nerds play, be worthy of Slashdot, which touts to be "news for nerds"?

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A suggestion by Jeng · 2012-07-27 09:20 · Score: 0

Create a transcription before posting the stories because a large percentage of your audience will not sit though a video when they can read the entire story in around 45 seconds.
Your "editors" are worse at being "reporters" than they are at editing.

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Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
1. Re:A suggestion by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 09:32 · Score: 0
  
  This. Not worth my time to watch a video. I also hate the videos on CNN.
Re:Ugh, more off-topic video junk by Jeng · 2012-07-27 09:22 · Score: 2

It's not the content, it is the manner in which it is presented.

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Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
Re:Ugh, more off-topic video junk by Jeng · 2012-07-27 09:27 · Score: 1

I'm thinking they are trying to get into the content creating business when what people come here for is news aggregating.
I guess they are hoping to be able to sell the content they create which is funny when their own customer base doesn't want to view it.

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Don't know something? Look it up. Still don't know? Then ask.
Re:Ugh, more off-topic video junk by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 09:28 · Score: 0

The parent poster said 'completely off-topic post' which doesn't really apply here. It's not kittens licking unicorns or a debate about fiscal widgets. It's D&D.
Deep in the WoTC Bunker... by Sir_Eptishous · 2012-07-27 09:33 · Score: 4, Insightful

"Hi, I'm Mike Mearls. I work for a company that created an incredibly lame and atrocious game called "Magic: The Gathering". A game, brilliantly designed so that you're chances of winning increase by purchasing more product from our company. But I digress...

Back in the 90's my company went out and "saved" TSR, the venerable and rickety enterprise which brought the world Dungeons and Dragons, the popular role playing game. TSR had floundered under idiotic management for years, and WoTC swooped in to take the name, revive the brand and make the game better for all.

What happened however was that the game that WoTC created had very, very little in common with the original TSR version, and along with subsequent iterations, it was all designed to generate perpetual revenue by using the same methods employed in that other, atrocious, WoTC POS card game, "Magic".

WoTC version of D&D was a godsend to the type of player who can't lose, which fit in perfectly in an America where everyone is a winner and all go home with a trophy...

WoTC new iteration of D&D attempts to patch over issues with our last release, however it is all really just another money grab, a way to get more pasty high school nerds to spend what little money they have on overpriced books, supplements, etc; This is the strategy WoTC has maintained and will continue with. So don't be fooled by imitations, only WoTC offers a true consumer experience at the expense of playability and enjoyment.

Enjoy!"

--
We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
1. Re:Deep in the WoTC Bunker... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 09:37 · Score: 0
  
  A game, brilliantly designed so that you're chances of winning increase by purchasing more product from our company
  
  WoTC version of D&D was a godsend to the type of player who can't lose, which fit in perfectly in an America where everyone is a winner and all go home with a trophy...
  
  Neither of these is true.
2. Re:Deep in the WoTC Bunker... by nschubach · 2012-07-27 10:05 · Score: 1
  
  Oh come on... Magic is built around obtaining rare cards from booster packs. We all know this. Maybe if you don't ever play with anyone using cards out of your base starter pack.. sure.
  Pre D&D 3 (I'll admit, in 3-3.5 stories had some tough spots) you had to mostly rely on the DM letting things slide. Good or bad, the new D&D are easier to get into and play for longer because they've been simplified to the point where anyone that's picked up a computer RPG or an MMO can at least play it and understand it without dying too hard.
  
  --
  Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
3. Re:Deep in the WoTC Bunker... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 10:21 · Score: 2, Informative
  
  Oh come on... Magic is built around obtaining rare cards from booster packs. We all know this. Maybe if you don't ever play with anyone using cards out of your base starter pack.. sure.
  No, Magic is built around combos and system mastery. A good player with a starter deck can easily thump an inexperienced player with a deck full of rares. Buying more cards can give you more options for building a deck, but it doesn't translate into a higher chance of winning any given game.
  
  Pre D&D 3 (I'll admit, in 3-3.5 stories had some tough spots) you had to mostly rely on the DM letting things slide. Good or bad, the new D&D are easier to get into and play for longer because they've been simplified to the point where anyone that's picked up a computer RPG or an MMO can at least play it and understand it without dying too hard.
  They've been streamlined, yes, but that's not the same as simplified. The modern rulesets are easier to grasp because they're more consistent and make more sense. Complexity, on the other hand, has increased in several areas due to the increased focus on customizability (less so in 4th Ed compared to 3rd, but still far more than pre-3rd).
4. Re:Deep in the WoTC Bunker... by Sir_Eptishous · 2012-07-27 10:35 · Score: 1
  
  because they've been simplified to the point where anyone that's picked up a computer RPG or an MMO can at least play it and understand it without dying too hard.
  Exactly...
  
  --
  We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
5. Re:Deep in the WoTC Bunker... by Sir_Eptishous · 2012-07-27 11:04 · Score: 0, Troll
  
  Nothing better than the fetid reek of WoTC apologists to brighten my mood!
  
  --
  We play the game with the bravery of being out of range
6. Re:Deep in the WoTC Bunker... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 11:19 · Score: 0
  
  Nothing like empty name-calling to admit that you have unconditionally surrendered all points of the discussion.
7. Re:Deep in the WoTC Bunker... by LordLucless · 2012-07-27 11:23 · Score: 1
  
  Oh come on... Magic is built around obtaining rare cards from booster packs. We all know this. Maybe if you don't ever play with anyone using cards out of your base starter pack.. sure.
  I haven't played M:TG since highschool, where what you say was true. But it seems these days, people plan their decks by looking up cards on the net, then go out and buy the singles they want to construct the deck; no luck involved. In fact, these days people just wait until some people on the internet crunch the numbers, assemble the "best" decks, and then fork out money for decks other people constructed.
  It seems rather...boring.
  
  --
  Just because you're paranoid doesn't mean there isn't an invisible demon about to eat your face
8. Re:Deep in the WoTC Bunker... by nschubach · 2012-07-27 11:23 · Score: 1
  
  My biggest gripes with the new rules are the classes and spell casting. Before, you could make spell casting warriors, but now the classes and spells they get are all pre-defined (ie: you won't get the spells to pick from)
  
  --
  Every time I start to have faith in humanity, I ruin it by driving to work between 7 and 8 am.
9. Re:Deep in the WoTC Bunker... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 12:08 · Score: 0
  
  It makes sense if you're not into the deck-building aspect of the game, and just prefer to play. I've never played very much, but when I did I would just borrow decks from my friends who were more into that part of it. I would choose them according to themes they were built around (hey, there's these critters called "slivers" that give each other cool abilities, that sounds neat) or interesting mechanics and combos (okay, here's one where you put down this enchantment that damages your opponents when they discard and then play lots of spells that force them to discard). But I had no interest in building decks myself.
10. Re:Deep in the WoTC Bunker... by Sunnan · 2012-07-27 19:32 · Score: 3, Insightful
  
  Except WotC did save D&D... by coming up with the OGL license, which enabled the entire OSR/retroclone movement.
11. Re:Deep in the WoTC Bunker... by aaron552 · 2012-07-28 03:15 · Score: 1
  
  If you're talking about 4e, you clearly haven't even looked at it. There is a system in 4e for obtaining abilities from other classes (like your arcane-spell-casting warrior), although it's rarely worth the effort. Also, there are multiple choices of abilities for each class, not to mention Paragon Paths which are similar to 3e's Prestige Classes.
  If you're talking about NEXT, well, the playtests have (AFAIK) only included prebuilt characters, so of course there's not going to be any choice of abilities.
  
  --
  I had a sig once. It was lost in the great storm of '09.
12. Re:Deep in the WoTC Bunker... by DNS-and-BIND · 2012-07-28 04:55 · Score: 1
  
  I wonder why he hasn't looked at 4e...maybe because buying the same rulebooks over and over again because they changed the phrasing on Hold Person is kind of...ooops, sounds like MtG or something.
  
  --
  Shutting down free speech with violence isn't fighting fascism. It IS fascism!
13. Re:Deep in the WoTC Bunker... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-28 11:52 · Score: 0
  
  What happened however was that the game that WoTC created ... was all designed to generate perpetual revenue by using the same methods employed in that other, atrocious, WoTC POS card game, "Magic". ...
  WoTC new iteration of D&D attempts to patch over issues with our last release, however it is all really just another money grab, a way to get more pasty high school nerds to spend what little money they have on overpriced books, supplements, etc.
  Newsflash: Company decides to focus on producing products to sell. "Customers" decry them as sell-outs.
  You have some seriously rose-tinted glasses about T$R if you're ranting about WotC as some sort of supplement factory and holding up TSR as some sort of paragon of generosity and self-contained product lines. Have you forgotten the sprawl of settings? The rehashing of rules from one book in another? The wastefully organized boxed sets? D&D has never been what some people pretend it was.
Ehrmagehrd by Fned · 2012-07-27 09:37 · Score: 1

Mehrk Mearls
he's not a designer by apcullen · 2012-07-27 09:41 · Score: 2

Senior Manager for the Dungeons and Dragons Design Team

Why not sit down with a bunch of actual designers instead of interviewing the manager?
1. Re:he's not a designer by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 18:39 · Score: 0
  
  Because Monte Cook quit halfway through the design process for undisclosed reasons.
2. Re:he's not a designer by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 18:56 · Score: 0
  
  He used to be lead designer (and before that, lead developer) until he was promoted into his current position. He then hired Monte Cook to be lead designer, who eventually quit for undisclosed reasons, and now he seems to have taken over some of the lead designer responsibilities again.
  Why not get your facts straight before making unfounded assertions?
  (Also, part of his job as manager is to give interviews so his team can get on with, you know, designing stuff.)
FARK.TV by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 09:49 · Score: 0

And the sweat off a dead mans balls.
All the cool kids... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 09:59 · Score: 0

... are playing Pathfinder now.
If Dungeons and Dragons 5th Edition is published under the Open Game License, then it'll be worth a look.
Otherwise, I won't waste my time or money.
1. Re:All the cool kids... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 12:38 · Score: 0
  
  You're half right. All the cool kids used to play D&D, and now they just play it with its new spelling, P-a-t-h-f-i-n-d-e-r.
  I don't know what your second sentence says. As soon as I realized you were starting to refer to a WOTC product, my eyes started to bleed, and I went blind.
This is Slashdot by heptapod · 2012-07-27 10:18 · Score: 2

People like to read articles on Slashdot, not watch non-pornographic videos.
At least post a fucking transcript.
We still play 1sd ed rules... by Grog6 · 2012-07-27 11:10 · Score: 1

Why fuck up a good thing? :)
RIP, EGG.

--
Truth isn't Truth - Guliani
1. Re:We still play 1sd ed rules... by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-30 03:09 · Score: 0
  
  Noob. We still play OD&D/Chainmail rules. :)
Gary Gygax by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 11:42 · Score: 0

Interview Gary Gygax, not this corporate drone.
1. Re:Gary Gygax by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 12:25 · Score: 0
  
  Why?
  Also, how?
2. Re:Gary Gygax by GloomE · 2012-07-27 12:40 · Score: 2
  
  I can see the interview now.
  Interviewer: So what's in store for future D&D players?
  Gary: BRAINS!
  Interviewer: ARGH!
3. Re:Gary Gygax by Anonymous Coward · 2012-07-27 12:40 · Score: 0
  
  Also, how?
  Speak with Dead should do the trick.
  I'm an Atheist, so I don't know any 5th level Clerics personally. Maybe you can help with that part?
Re:Ugh, more off-topic video junk by Ogive17 · 2012-07-27 11:55 · Score: 1

It's not the content, it is the manner in which it is presented.
Ewwww technology!!! *shakes fist*

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"Action without philosophy is a lethal weapon; philosophy without action is worthless."
Text instead of video by omfglearntoplay · 2012-07-30 05:46 · Score: 1

I like text much better... too inconvenient to watch video 99% of the time.