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

Video no longer available.

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.

Re:Deep in the WoTC Bunker...

[Anonymous Coward]

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).