Neverwinter Nights Interview

Massive Multiplayer has posted up an interview with Teresa Stevenson, communications coordinator at BioWare, about their upcoming multiplayer RPG Neverwinter Nights. Along with Trent Oster's help, they answered quite a few questions, including this one:

    Q: Is there going to be any way to introduce the DM's favorite tool, the Fudge Factor, without making it blatantly obvious to the players? Kind of like allowing them to get through that door they really need to get through, but the Thief blew their picklock roll.

    A: Ah, the Fudge Factor... While players rarely notice it, the so-called Fudge Factor is a vital tool for any DM. Within Neverwinter, we plan on giving the DM quick in-game access to an all-encompassing difficulty slider that manipulates all sorts of stats and rolls behind the scenes. Aside from this, the DM will also have a number of more specific powers at his or her disposal such as locking and unlocking doors, giving temporary skill or combat bonuses to a creature, temporarily protecting a creature from damage or death, and so forth. Additionally, the DM can always spawn and/or possess NPCs and manipulate the situation in that manner (the city guard arrives on the scene, providing the player with some extra backup). We’ll have more details on the DMs specific Fudge Factor powers closer to release.