So what's next for Mike Mearls?

Lago PARANOIA · Post by **Lago PARANOIA** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 1:51 am

Remember all of the nerfs that came packaged with the Essentials / The Rules Compendium switchover? From 'small' ones like the Magic Missile change to completely campaign-upending ones like the monster errata? Hell, let's just look at the Magical Item Rarity Change: Mike Mearls declaring that 99% of 4E D&D characters that were okay last month are now illegal and being molly-coddled with too many magical items dicks over even more players than retroactively changing sorcerers to monks and declaring sorcerers a house-ruled 3rd-party class.

Aryxbez · Post by **Aryxbez** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 3:24 am

Lago PARANOIA wrote:A lot of people would say that this a little too early to pass judgment. To these people, I say that we're talking about a guy who thought that this was an acceptable character to bring to the table for one of the first videos previewing the system people have been waiting on for 18 months:
A dwarf in a steel top hat and steel tuxedo called MC Killzalot, the most famous dwarven rapper who's on the skids after a disastrous attempt at a prog rock album. Oh, his class is Fighter.

Alright, I've seen this often enough, even in the thread it originated, but never watched the Podcast. However, why is this found so offensive? I find it rather difficult to be insulted by it. Is it the notion of taking anachronistic elements in a game that was supposed to be catering to bland Tolkien RPG fans?

Night Goat · Post by **Night Goat** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 3:40 am

I don't think it's because it's anachronistic, but because it's unfunny lolrandom bullshit. MC Killzalot is annoying in the same way as a fishmalk from VTM.

Whipstitch · Post by **Whipstitch** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 3:44 am

Lots of people hate super lame jokes just on principle, but otherwise it's a context thing. Mearls is only in 1 video out of 5 separate 90+ minute sessions in what appears to otherwise be a fairly serious campaign. In other words, he gives everyone bad flashbacks of that one dingus in the game club who says he wants in on your D&D game but always forgets the shits he was supposed to give at home.

Sakuya Izayoi · Post by **Sakuya Izayoi** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 4:02 am

I realize the game has to have elves and dwarves in order to have broad appeal. And I understand that the players at the table will take the piss out of all the fantasy tropes. But at least two people should be playing the setting straight: the GM, and the person writing and designing the game.

If the designer can't get excited about a dwarf who drinks beer and talks with a funny accent and digs elaborate underground habitats, why should anyone else?

shadzar · Post by **shadzar** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 4:17 am

Sakuya Izayoi wrote:I realize the game has to have elves and dwarves in order to have broad appeal. And I understand that the players at the table will take the piss out of all the fantasy tropes. But at least two people should be playing the setting straight: the GM, and the person writing and designing the game.

If the designer can't get excited about a dwarf who drinks beer and talks with a funny accent and digs elaborate underground habitats, why should anyone else?

The problem is that Mearls, like Noonan during the 4th preview video podcast; presents themselves as the type of player most people want to avoid. the disruptive player in Mearls case, and the psycho DM in Noonan's.

getting excited is one thing, but looking like a complete retard is another.

people though Mearls to just be a retard with his text articles, but when he opened his actual mouth and showed the world what he thought a player was supposed to be and how they should act; he removed all doubt that he was incompetent to work on D&D. same as James Wyatt with his playstyle that the other members of the D&D team didn't approve of.

there is a thing called decorum that WotC employees just dont seem to have and act like the little brat MtG and yugioh players wanting to try to "talk smack" and other hoodrat nonsense that isnt viewed as civilized by the majority.

nockermensch · Post by **nockermensch** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 5:00 am

Sakuya Izayoi wrote:If the designer can't get excited about a dwarf who drinks beer and talks with a funny accent and digs elaborate underground habitats, why should anyone else?

What Sakuya said. I'm guilty of doing horrible things to D&D, like DMing an adventure about a group of teenagers from Underdark races trying to get tickets for the legendary Menzoberrapalooza. In my defense, we were drunk and/or stoned and I'm not the goddamn lead designer during a public demo of how my new product works.

Mearls came with a fourth wall breaking, lame joke character concept to what was an otherwise non-parody, non-comedy game. If I'm starting a serious game and somebody comes with a joke character, my reaction is usually "lol, that was funny, but now change that background." If the player insists on playing the joke character (Mearls did that, including irritating in-character voice, because of course he did) then he just ruins the mood and the immersion for everybody else.

TL;DR: MC Killzalot was a dipshit player move and the video showed to the world that the lead designer of D&D is, in fact, a dipshit player who likes to ruin the game for everybody else.

MisterDee · Post by **MisterDee** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 6:36 am

Let's put it this way: MC Killzalot was so stupid, I'm agreeing with shadzar.

Maxus · Post by **Maxus** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 6:40 am

On the one hand, if you can't imagine your character tripping and falling on their ass, taking a dump, shaving themselves, or making a joke, you need to remember these are things characters do and lighten up.

On the other hand, when the lead designer of a game can't raise enough fucks to make a character like would reasonably see play, you need to consider whether you can raise enough fucks about the game.

tussock · Post by **tussock** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 1:03 pm

Sakuya Izayoi wrote:I realize the game has to have elves and dwarves in order to have broad appeal. And I understand that the players at the table will take the piss out of all the fantasy tropes. But at least two people should be playing the setting straight: the GM, and the person writing and designing the game.

If the designer can't get excited about a dwarf who drinks beer and talks with a funny accent and digs elaborate underground habitats, why should anyone else?

Thank you for that. I'd been conflicted on the whole Killzalot thing, because it's stuff I've seen and done and been fine with and yet ... it's not quite right. And there it is. He's got to play it strait because he's writing it strait, and he should damn well love what he's writing. Be into it, as it is. Have a vision that will see play.

And damn it, D&D is haughty elves in the woods and dour dwarfs in their mines and tricky gnomes with their badgers and really lawful-nice halflings who aren't all thieves no matter what your mother said. Also, now, goblins who will totally just eat your face off.

Rawbeard · Post by **Rawbeard** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 1:35 pm

I believe Mearls gives the most amazong blowjobs in the world. That would explain everything from why he still has a job and why it takes so long to get any "work" done. Can't work when you have a mouth full of dicks to service daily.

Krusk · Post by **Krusk** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 1:58 pm

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sjXF01pu97c

Watch the first 20 minutes.

He shows up with a joke character in a fairly serious game.
He flat out tells the DM "I didn't do any of the prework you asked me to"
He goes out of his way to make a PC that everyone in and out of game hates.
He leads the party in those "I refuse to follow the plot" decisions this party makes during a pre-made demo adventure. It playing a module, you've got to accept that you do things in that module, you don't fight every NPC you meet.

You can just see how much the DM is pissed he showed up with this character, but its his boss, so he sort of awkwardly goes with it. Then every time he has any input everyone sort of gives these awkward glances like "If this guy weren't my boss I'd throw him out". Look at the screenshots around minute 7.

It makes it seem like the head dude is that jackass who insists on playing some stupid character that doesn't fit the rest of the game, doesn't take it seriously, and just ruins everyone elses time. And it seems that way because its true.

Also, note they did not bring him back for future sessions. Yes. The Lead Guy at WoTC was kicked from a group for being disruptive and generally being shitty.

This does not give high hopes that the thing he wrote will be good.

Rawbeard · Post by **Rawbeard** » Sat Jun 28, 2014 2:16 pm

just... great. very promising.

infected slut princess · Thu Jul 03, 2014 10:19 pm

Mike Mearls has INT 6, WIS 3, and CHA 1

Wiseman · Post by **Wiseman** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 12:39 am

mayhaps being a bit generous with that int score.

momothefiddler · Post by **momothefiddler** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 12:49 am

Unless he has some really interesting class bonuses or something, I'd say his continued employment this long indicates a CHA significantly greater than 1. It's certainly not his Craft(RPG) ranks.

Wiseman · Post by **Wiseman** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 1:02 am

Four years spend in development, convincing his superiour's that he was "working". He obviously has a high bluff check

.

GnomeWorks · Post by **GnomeWorks** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 2:21 am

So, I don't know if anybody around here heard about some guy by the name of Schwalb - who was involved in 5e, but isn't now, I guess - who said some stuff that various boards are completely losing their shit over (in case anybody missed that).

Anyway, apparently the next morning he was all confused by the shitstorm he'd caused (exhibit A, exhibit B).

A guy who is friends with him and Mearls on some social media site, quoted Mearls* as saying this to Schwalb:

Revolutions are never painless. Sorry you're on the frontline catching flack, but I can't think of a single RPG designer I've talked to in the past year who wants to design games for the faction hassling you over this blog post. That crowd has managed to burn their own house down, and nobody is coming to rebuild it. Turns out when you treat designers like crap, they stop wanting to court your business.

So... I found that interesting.

*Source.

Sakuya Izayoi · Post by **Sakuya Izayoi** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 2:54 am

Oh goody, a "roleplayer vs rollplayers" debate. Just what I want to hear from the person who's supposed to be convincing me 5e's rules are new and improved.

Voss · Post by **Voss** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 2:55 am

Schwalb has a writing credit in the 5e web edition that went up today, also several 4e books, The Fiendish Codex II (3e) and fucking Tome of Magic. I'm uncertain off the top of my head which bit of that was his (I'm pretty sure the shadowmancer was Marmell, so either the Binder (meh) or the Truenamer, which is a fucking crime in and of itself. Also Dark Sun credits are in his write-ups. .

But the post is another 'I was shit at playing D&D when I was a kid, and this critical thinking stuff that adults I didn't know did and people do now needs to stop. Because I had fun being stupid and bad at analysis and that is all that matters. So that is what gaming must be about.' So they're going to inflict the sins of 1st/2nd on the community all over again, because their nostalgia goggles say that is the best D&D.

Bonus that he cries about fighters getting nice things that should be the exclusive purview of wizards
Extra bonus that he was going to write about XP for gold.
Extra, extra bonus that he admits to being hired on to carry the 4e flag during 5e development but abandoned it like a sack of puppies. (Which is probably the only positive in the whole post).

CapnTthePirateG · Post by **CapnTthePirateG** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 2:59 am

It's great because we'd already given up on these idiots because of shitty products anyway!

CCarter · Post by **CCarter** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 3:09 am

GnomeWorks wrote: So... I found that interesting.

No really. Not that something is out, he has to stop pretending that "we'll add the math later" and naturally is switching over to "anyone who doesn't love this crap we produced eats babies".

name_here · Post by **name_here** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 3:14 am

Aryxbez wrote:
Lago PARANOIA wrote:A lot of people would say that this a little too early to pass judgment. To these people, I say that we're talking about a guy who thought that this was an acceptable character to bring to the table for one of the first videos previewing the system people have been waiting on for 18 months:
A dwarf in a steel top hat and steel tuxedo called MC Killzalot, the most famous dwarven rapper who's on the skids after a disastrous attempt at a prog rock album. Oh, his class is Fighter.

Alright, I've seen this often enough, even in the thread it originated, but never watched the Podcast. However, why is this found so offensive? I find it rather difficult to be insulted by it. Is it the notion of taking anachronistic elements in a game that was supposed to be catering to bland Tolkien RPG fans?

While I'm totally up for anachronistic fourth-wall breaking jokes, it's a hell of a thing to put into the public demo game for an edition of DnD, particularly since it wasn't part of a specific "high gonzo" campaign.

GnomeWorks · Post by **GnomeWorks** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 3:14 am

CCarter wrote:No really. Not that something is out, he has to stop pretending that "we'll add the math later" and naturally is switching over to "anyone who doesn't love this crap we produced eats babies".

Specifically, I found the apparent active hostility towards the types of people who enjoyed 3e and 4e to be interesting.

The change-over in attitude, sure, that makes sense. Most of the people involved in 5e apparently didn't like 4e, but were forced into supporting it; kind of makes me wonder who was forcing them to do so, and who came up with those ideas in the first place. Obviously someone had to, and it was probably one of those people who claim they didn't care for 4e, so they're being dishonest - but they have a good reason to be dishonest in that instance, so I can't really hold it against them.

But I fully expect people willing to change their loyalties so quickly to be able to change their tunes on the turn of a dime.

Stubbazubba · Post by **Stubbazubba** » Fri Jul 04, 2014 3:28 am

Schwalb wrote:I know a great many people love to tinker, to build, and create. They see the character sheet as a blank screen, eager for new code, a canvas craving the brush. And that’s cool. But for me, I don’t want that experience anymore. I crave lighter fare. I want the thrill of discovery. The excitement that arises at the table. The hilarity of defeat and the thrill of success.

Sounds like he's burned out on actual design and just wants to play. That actually kind of sounds like the entire 5e team. So what kind of game does that produce? I guess we'll find out.

The Gaming Den

So what's next for Mike Mearls?

Re: So what's next for Mike Mearls?

Re: So what's next for Mike Mearls?