There’s not much game design in Mike’s post from a few weeks ago about the playtest so far, so I’m just going to throw a few of my thoughts on the same things he’s talking about. Overall The overall reaction I’ve seen the most is actually a kind of quiet. That may be because I’ve been distracted by other things, but D&D Next hasn’t quite exploded like I thought it would. That may actually be a good sign for the long term: a solid base may be more useful for their goals than something crazy that draws a lot of discussion right off the bat. Combat Options The tactical rules module that Mike talks...

Still playing catchup, and still talking about monsters. The basic topic here is how monsters get used (in increasing numbers) and how humanoids fit in (as basic stats that leaders modify). This is a mechanic that I love for some games and hate for others. The idea of increasing numbers of enemies that are individually uninteresting but under the guidance of a leader take on some extra abilities sounds like a wonderful part of a tower defense game or a boardgame or a squad combat game or a tabletop wargame. It’s a very mechanically interesting idea, one that leads to interesting tactics and play. Awesome! That’s because all of...