Live Commentary! As It Is Watched!

No women in the teaser video. Bleah.

New logo is not bad. Not, y'know, awe-inspiring or anything. But not bad.

Pictures on the covers! Neat-o.

"Character advancement fun and meaningful at every level of play" is a very, very good thing. That means: no dead levels. No levels where you maybe get a number bump, but no cool new powers to play with. (I know this because it's an issue they've addressed on the website before. They know this is a problem.) And what I hope it means is that you've got a choice or two to make at every level. Not a huge choice, not takes-five-hours choice, but a "this character is unique and cool" choice.

I'll believe what you say about high level play when I see it, thank you very much. Never used that part of the game myself (want to, I've got one player who really wants to) but I have heard . . . stories. Especially from the GM side of the screen.

Simplified stat blocks, you say? Why, that sounds quite peachy. This is problem number one from the GM side of the screen, and I am glad they are aware of it.

Less time consuming game prep? Excellent.

THIRTY LEVELS? BWAH? Ooooh . . . I get it. More frequent leveling.

Pulling stuff off Tome of Battle? That book is awesome. In concept, anyway.

Improving the game on the encounter level . . . hmm . . .

Better monster roles! Also nice.

Gleemax. Ick.

Okay. The game is playable with just the book. Good. Getting a little worried there.

Hang on just a minute. Is that Orcus on the monster manual?

An e-version of the book? Free with the printed book? That's a point in favor of this insider business.

You also get Dungeon magazine and Dragon magazine . . . I should start making a list.

This digital stuff actually looks kinda cool. (Solves a particular problem for me, if it works well.) What's the subscription cost?

The drawing stuff tells me this may be a reason to finally get that tablet. Especially if there's any kind of custom content creation utility.

Custom digital minis? Major coolness.

One thought: this will subtly limit custom monsters, races, and other visual elements. Yeah, you can use other stuff, like we always have, but it puts up a small barrier.

Note to Wizards: A big part of The Sims (and sequels) success is the artistic side of it. You can make stuff for that game. Allowing people to do something similar with these utilities could go a long way towards getting people into it.

Check the fine print of the people involved in the game. Mike Mearls is there, which is always a good sign. The man knows awesome.

"I'd also like to thank Vecna." Perfect.

Wish I'd gone to GenCon now. I considered it. I suggested it. But no. . . . No one else was too keen on the idea.

Hey, maybe they'll videotape those seminars, too. Otherwise, hopefully someone whose blog I read will write down the important bits. And ask some good questions.

They have a seminar by a woman. Promising.

How do you become a 4th edition playtester? Didn't see that one coming.

Guess I'm signing up for D&D Insider now. Might even be interesting. Total scam, of course, but, hey. Free is good. Hopefully they won't be stupid enough to pull an AOL.

Oh, yeah. Almost forget. I actually like grappling. I don't find the rules difficult to remember.