Scrying The 4e Crystal Ball - Slashdot Interviews The Design Team

I have an early treat for folks waiting on the newest news on 4e.... so here it is, a special Tuesday edition of Scrying the 4e Crystal Ball:

The 4e design team answered a host of questions for Slashdot. I was directed to this interview by a friend in the WereCabbages, and decided it was worth sharing. A lot of the information was a rehash of stuff already out there (or even already posted here in this column), but it makes for a good summary for folks who haven't had a chance to keep up. There's also the promise that they will finally be announcing the Dungeons & Dragons Insider pricing scheme at the Dungeons & Dragons Experience ... something people have been asking for since the news about 4e broke!

For those who want a sample... here's one of the questions from the interview:

Complexity vs. other gaming systems by Mechagodzilla:
Has there been any thoughts or discussions on reducing the amount of books needed to play? Donating a bookshelf to every new edition is getting a little ridiculous for the casual gamer. I have 40+ books from first and second edition. I bought the Player's Handbook from the third edition, read the first thirty pages and went "bleh". I know it goes against the business model, but can you actually make a game that can be played with less than four books?

WotC:
The only book any player needs to play the game is the Player's Handbook. In addition, the DM will want a copy of the Dungeon Master's Guide and Monster Manual (to help him craft encounters, build adventures, and run an entertaining game). Players won't need the Dungeon Master's Guide to equip their higher-level characters, because the PH will have plenty of magic items for all levels. Players won't need the Monster Manual to adjudicate shapechanging or summoning effects, because those effects will be self-contained within the classes or powers that grant them. That said, a large number of D&D players want more options than the core rulebooks provide--so we publish additional supplements and sourcebooks to meet that desire--but the game's fully functional without them. Of course, with the new online tools provided by D&D Insider (including a full rules database), it'll be easier than ever to carry around even your whole collection of D&D books wherever you play--just log on and there they are!

Read the full interview with the 4e designers.