well, that didn’t take long… a huge thanks to @sdee, @Tom and all of Team Radiant for the super fast turnaround on our submitted questions! 
for reference, this thread housed the original submissions… and here are their responses… enjoy! 
note: we will certainly have additional rounds, but keep in mind these “mini AMA’s” will only be answered as the team finds the spare cycles… 
Q: How will water fit into the game - what are your hopes or ideas? Will we need a nearby water source to survive? Could we make wells to find water where there is none? 
@SirCamOfRon
We want water to be a meaningful part of the game. You’ll need water to irrigate your crops and keep your settlers healthy. You will definitely be able to build wells. One thing we’re trying to decide is how detailed the water simulation needs to be to provide compelling gameplay, but still run efficiently on your computer. We have some ideas that should work, and it will be exciting to try them out.
Q: What will happen when a villager dies? @thorbjorn42gbf
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Q: Can you elaborate on how the building system will evolve? Aside from roofs, what are the next steps in expanding the building process? @Didis
Right now you can pretty much just stamp out pre-defined little houses. The main feature of the new build system will be a ginormous tool to let you build your own custom building from scratch. You’ll be able to draw out floor plans, choose the material you want to use for the floor and walls, then raise the walls and carve out doors and windows. It’s a big tool, but it should be awesome when we’re done with it.
And of course, once you’ve built those buildings (with roofs), you need a way to peer inside the buildings. So we will provide a cut-away view that you can toggle on and off.
Q: I’d love to hear if there are any plans for multiple-entity units. Things like a horse-drawn cart or carriage, with a person riding it (or in it). @Teleros
Not at this time, but that sounds awesome. It’s something that we could build once the core game is in place.
Q: How will seasons affect your town on a grand scale? It was mentioned that certain crops may only grow during certain times but will that affect other classes as well? Will the scout have different animals to snare as some go to hibernate/migrate? Will the seasons affect magic classes as the equinox comes and goes? @Crobo
The biggest effects of seasons will be the availability of food and shelter. Food availability affects not only your own settlers, but the world inhabitants around you as well. So, when food is scarce in the winter you may expect those raiding parties to get a little more aggressive. You’ll also need to supply shelter and heat for all your citizens during the winter. Sleeping outdoors under the night sky just won’t fly.
Bonus question (effectively, a followup to the last AMA question)
Q: How will underground ores and therefore digging/mining work? Do we mark out a mine entrance and just wait for the results to come (no management), or do we assign directions all the time (constant management)? @tkh
Ideally, we will let you carve out mine passages in a way that’s very similar to Dwarf Fortress. There are all kinds of challenges for doing this in a 3d game, but that’s the ideal design that we would like to achieve!
and dig it in this direction (or a drag-area) 
”. Or something like that 