D&D Playtest overview

   Thanks for coming out and trying out the playtest on Saturday.  I was surprised that the pre-generated characters survived considering that they marched right into two of the most dangerous areas of the Caves of Chaos (the Owlbear den and the Minotaur's maze).  I would like to see how they react to some of the less formidable creatures of the caves.  I don't know weather it would be feasible, but I would like to have at least one more session before I give my feedback.  Remember that you can give your feedback as well.

  One thing that I did notice was how there were no rules for disengaging from combat allowing characters to dart in, attack, and then step away from an enemy with no repercussions. This was also due to the fact that characters (and monsters) could break up their movement every round instead of the traditional move and attack or attack then move.  It allowed for a more dynamic flow to the battle but I can see how this might be abused by both players and their adversaries.  "Tim the Enchanter" used this to great effect although he did get himself gored by the Minotaur.  This was a playtest after all so all the rules aren't in place yet, I guess we'll just have to wait and see.

Here's a great article from the designers that goes into the choices that were made for the playtest. It helped clear up some things for me and I think you might find it interesting.

Mike Mearls: Playtest, First round overview 

I'm always looking for dates to play our Malavon campaign, so as usual let me know.