This started as a design blog post on my Wiki for Arcana Evolved Saga Edition. But it quickly grew out of that venue, so here we are!

Boy, talk about a backburner! (previous design blog entry was in 2010) D&D Next has actually brought some of my own game design back in front of me. It sounds like DDN is picking up the idea of enforcing ability importance by divorcing them from skills and saving throws. That excites me, because I’m one of those folks who has always chafed a bit when a big, scary, imposing barbarian has to rely on Cha to intimidate.

The core game, with add-on modules for complexity, also excites me. Most especially if the modules can be generated by third parties! Imagine having the core game (or some aspect with add-ons) with a third party “Seventh Sea” module, adding in Drama/Reputation Dice, and Wounds. Or an “Iron Heroes” module with Mastery Feats, Token Pools, and Armor-as-DR. The possibilities are endless!

It’s interesting to see a game company really leverage the power of the Information Age to solicit feedback and ideas for a product. It’s neat to think that somehow, little old me might have some tiny impact on the final product. Twitter, among all the other IA tools, is an amazing way to interact with people you’d have no chance of interacting with otherwise. The devs and big bloggers all read and respond to tweets. They read and respond to forum posts. This is a system without a design vacuum.

On the other hand, crackpots like me (who used to just make house rules for home games) suddenly have a voice! Amateur game designers with no proper experience are trying to squeeze their way into this IA experience! At some point recently, I saw a jibe regarding this design tactic. WotC: “D&D Next, the game designed by you!” Paizo: “Pathfinder, the game designed by professional game designers!”

Ok, that’s pretty funny, but it misses the point of the open design process. WotC is still building a game with experienced and proven designers, relying on consistent system math and copious playtesting. They’re just trying a different, more transparent method of market research.

For instance, what do I want to play? Obviously a clever mash-up of Monte Cook’s Arcana Evolved, Mike Mearls’ Iron Heroes, and Rodney Thompson’s Star Wars Saga Edition. This is why, no matter what 4e is like, no matter what 3.Xe is like, no matter what 2e and 1e and OD&D are like… I’m fuck-all excited because those three designers are on the core team of Next!

I know… I have little reason to believe that Next will behave anything like Saga Evolved. But with the right modules? Might get damn close. Even closer with 3PP.

And that’s what excites me. Not that they’re making a game to appeal to the 4e crowd. Not that they’re making a game to appeal to the lost Pathfinder crowd. Not that they’re making a game to appeal to the OSRIC crowd. But that they’re making a game which will, with its wide modularity, appeal to all these disparate folks. A game which will, with its ubiquitous nature, bring in more hobbyists. A game which will, with its all-star design team, come dangerously close to achieving these goals.

It’s the Information Age. And I’m happy to be here.