Personally, there are things that can be done, things that can’t be done, and things that could be done but would require a use of resources that isn’t likely to happen. I’ve been doing this long enough (and discuss the topic of podcasting enough) to be aware of much of that.

That said, I still welcome all feedback, even hyperbolic feedback. While specific comments may or may not be something we can/will resolve it does give some general impressions about how to move the show in a positive way. Even the comments that are the most hurtful have positively impacted the show over the years…that’s not to say that they might not some day drive the show into cancellation, but I’m a stubborn guy, so it doesn’t seem likely any time soon.

I can see a write in your question section fitting in nicely as well as a section on DM Tricks [how to track initiative, how to ‘change the board’, how to keep players focused, how to order pizza, etc].

Also, I think you have room for a fourth DM & I really think including Chris Heard would be a very good idea–his story telling is first rate & he does a great job of documenting his prep work.

For me it isn’t just about editing, it’s also about equipment. I have a very long commute and listen to many podcasts across a number of genres. I’ve picked up that using the right equipment goes a long in producing a quality podcast. Using good microphones that work well with your particular voice is the first step. Using the right software and sound processor makes the world of difference. Of course these items cost money and may not be within the budget of what The Tome wants to invest into the show.

All the background noise can be filtered out with the right mics and processors, so all you hear on the feed is clean voices. I’ve heard some podcasts that use skype and it sounds horrible and other podcasts where the person sounds like they are sitting in a sound studio. Of course this was done by experienced radio guys with high end gear but it demonstrates there are ways to use skype, or facetime, without it sounding like the person is talking through a paper tube.

I’m not trying to be overly critical. I was hoping the comments were taken in the spirit given. If I didn’t care about the show, I would just ignore it and move on. However, I get the impression the folks behind the show care and are really trying to put out a solid product. They can’t do that unless folks give them feedback.

However, reporting in a timely fashion should not equate to poor production values. It’s RAW. I get that. However, a couple of quick edits can make a world of difference. Cutting out the huge pause and the Skype crash would have made this episode that much better, and would not have taken more than a minute or two. It’s not like you’re editing the whole thing.

Remember, you want to keep your audience engaged in the topic, not in the mistakes. People will accept RAW only up to a point.

Anyway, please accept this as constructive criticism. As I said above, I appreciate your thoughts on 5e and look forward to future coverage.

This was not an episode that could be planned or scripted because we didn’t know that the announcement was going to be made. In an effort to get our thoughts, discussion, and ideas out there we grabbed some of the Tome family and did an off the cuff episode on the announcement.

That said, I take all the feedback to heart, don’t doubt it and am and will be aware of it going forward. We do plan to continue to cover news of the new edition in the future of the show but since it’s not likely to be such big surprise it will likely all be well planned, scripted, and outlined as usual.

On a side note, we were multi-tasking during the episode, we were finding references. When dealing with breaking news like this it’s important (to me at least) to be as accurate as possible and in an effort to not mis-state or mis-represent anything we were often looking at the websites and articles we were referencing. Sorry if that was distracting. Again, this is not usually the normal behavior of us or our guests, but for a RAW episode dealing with such a big topic we opted to allow it in an effort to maintain accuracy of reporting in a timely manner.

One word made me expect everything your post complained about: Raw. We knew this show would be posted unedited. Just goes to show how far editing can go to tightened up a podcast.

Please do a little more show prep. You all are not that good at riffing, the pauses and silence tell your audience you have no plan on what to talk about next. You need a much tighter and packed show outline. Instead of looking for ways to fill in the time, you should have an almost minute by minute outline so that you are more worried about fitting it all in rather than worrying about how you can pad the time. Your audience will be able to tell the difference. When you are pushed for time, you will have a sense of urgency and energy that will carry in your voice.

I like your insight into the games and believe you have something to offer. I just believe you could take your podcast game up a level with a little more craftsmanship.

Please stop.

In the time before time, there was only one world (or plane)—the Feywild, the One True World. Then the Dawn War hacked it to pieces, creating the whole D&D universe. The present Feywild is a mere shadow of the One True World, an echo of its impossible exuberance.

How about it?

http://thetome.podbean.com/contest/

http://thetome.podbean.com/contest

Thanks for a fascinating podcast

Hey Jeff, I’m also in the Raleigh NC area, so if you have trouble finding someone to play Conquest of Nerath with just let me know. We’ll grab a table at All Fun and Games battle it out.

Of course, eventually I’ll wear him out and then have to go back to editing myself.

Thanks for the heads-up about Kantcon. Never heard of it before.

Right now I’m inclined to move forward with the other 5 episodes planned for this month, but if I run into some extra time I can play around a bit and see if I can clean it up a bit.

I suspect some of the problem, however, comes from the equipment that WotC was using as part of the demonstration, since nothing else that I can think of is any different in the way this seminar was recorded or the settings on the file.

I actually got to do the script adaptation for most of the Legend of Huma comic book adaptation for Dragonlance. Those were good times.

Keep up the good work!

Personally, I was pretty sceptical about the comic before it launched, and even after buying issue #0 (against my better judgement) I wasn’t sure it would be any good.

I’ve got to say though, that having now just finished issue #3 I think this is a great comic. Sure, it’s not going to change the face of comics, but it really is a fun read.

I think that it captures a lot of the feel of a light-hearted, fun session of D&D with friends and is well worth picking up.

If the D&D brand was sold I would be just fine with that. I feel not specific affinity to Hasbro or Wizards of the Coast specifically. I do have an affinity to the brand of Dungeons and Dragons and be it through WotC or another owner I’m happy so long as the game is going strong.

That said, I don’t feel like the products we’ve seen in the last 6 months are particularly weak. I don’t get the impression that the next 6 months will be filled with weak product.

What I do see is that the last 6 months had a change in direction that started a year or two ago in the company and that the next 6 months seems to signal another change in direction for the company. So right now it seems a bit schizophrenic as they try to settle into a new formula.

We certainly live in interesting times, but I said the same thing when 4e was announced and I was filled with a real sense of insecurity then. I have less insecurity now. We’ll see what happens. I’m generally not one to jump on the fear-wagon.

PS- I can’t believe they canceled miniatures!

Thanks for the mention Jeff - glad to see people liking the cards (and goofy images)

Jon was a blast to talk to and I really liked hearing his take on things. I wish I had more excuses to have him on after this episode.

Oh, and yes, I am a tenacious person…stubborn. Not only am I not going anywhere any time soon, there might be new and exciting things in the works. Stay tuned.

Go Wizards!

I think it’s fair to say that they released the web app earlier than they should have. They shouldn’t have put it out until it had equivalent features as the old version of the builder. I understand why they didn’t. I wonder if they could have told people WHY there weren’t updates coming for a few months and people might have been more understanding.

But I do see the potential in this version of the builder. It can go places the old one couldn’t and if they make it feature-complete compared to the old builder within, oh, I’d say two months (February) then I’ll be happy.

Time will tell.

So we liked the set, but thought it would be better with the other sets. And the Dungeon set was cooler.

Does that help at all?

D&D is old now, and old can be cool! By making a fantasy game, you’re already “harking” back to old school stuff, and you can get some advantage by being the original version of something. (Even if it’s not technically the original version of the game, you can still claim that continuity.)

In other words 12 year olds can like old-school stuff, and I think it’s quite clever to gamble on the “intrinsic value” of D&D. Not to say it’s the only thing they should try; I say change the box cover every printing, keep things interesting, give a feel of diversity, but I wouldn’t want to stop them trying this out, which still looks quite cool, and I say that as someone with no nostalgic association with the original, but totally capable of faking it!

Also there’s this concept I’ve been racking my brains to remember the name of, which is a narrative section put at the front of a system of laws or a treaty in order to explain the motivation for the creation of that law, a narrative element that actually help lawyers in finding parallels etc.

In other words maybe someone that they put in charge of insuring the compendium is clear actually decided to put in something to temper RAW lawyers to understand the intent under which the rules were written, and turn them into a more advanced type of lawyer!

If it helps next time I edit with my laptop I’ll look into it more carefully and worst case it is a rare occasion, typically, that I edit on my laptop at all.

Thanks for listening to the show!

You can do that right now with the first round of Essentials classes, picking powers from previous books. You just have to click a little box that says something like “other sources”.