Thanks for the info, sounds good. Looking forward to it!
Since I have an excuse to post other than spam: Now that it won't go against the preference of the OP to keep the votes secret I can say that I chose artifacts. I was very curious about how they would change in the new version and what significant effects they could have, but Toady recently answered that curiosity in a post.
Now that I've hashed over that in my mind and in this post it seems silly to use artifacts as the main topic of DF Talk. There's nothing new except that they are subject to the new rules and thus less effective than before. What more could we want to know than what we already know about what Toady plans to do in the distant future, and this:
hmmm with the material rewrite i guess artifact weapons (and possible armor?) are nerved down or do they get some magical, weight, shearpoint, yield modifiers? Also what about the elven wood-weapons? Do the elves now manipulate the materials in some faschion?
Do we know how artifact weapons and armor, specifically artifact weapons and armor made with strange materials, will interact with the materials system? Will an artifact bone spear be able to pierce normal steel plate, or will it be largely ineffectual? Will artifact weapons and armor acquire item damage? Would an artifact gold hammer get bent or broken when I bashed it on someone's adamantium helmet?
For combat purposes, artifacts are just unusually high quality:<quotes>
Yeah, the current situation is:
Value*10.
Cannot be owned (can be equipped, you might have to do it explicitly though).
Armor deflection roll has *3 roll modifier instead of the masterwork's *2.
Same for melee attack and archery rolls.
It looks like the artifact edges are the maximum edge for the material, which is also what a masterwork gets, so beyond a masterwork you'd just be getting the hit roll modifier.
Things like artifact bone spears will likely be crap against steel, yeah. We don't have actual magical artifacts yet, and that's what would be required.
I understand that you thought the topic was substantial enough to put it as an option in the first place, and you have questions prepared on the subject. However, as one of the people who voted for artifacts, I have to say that this post changes the situation and my vote would no longer be for artifacts. I'd rather get info on something like science, breeding or combat than something that won't see implementation possibly for years.