Kate Welch is WotC's New D&D Designer

WotC has a brand new D&D designer, and it's Kate Welch! She plays Rosie Beestinger, the Lightfoot Halfing Monk in Acquisitions Inc's "C Team". She starts work on February 2nd. That's all I know for the moment, but more info if I hear it!

[video=youtube;fRsURJf4SjQ]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fRsURJf4SjQ[/video]
[FONT=&amp]Save[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Save[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Save[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Save[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Save[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Save[/FONT]
[FONT=&amp]Save[/FONT][FONT=&amp]Save[/FONT]
[FONT=&quot]Save[/FONT][FONT=&quot]Save[/FONT]​

 

[Corpsetaker]

I think it's a waste of a hire. I think the D&D team needs an experienced designer who can bring about some different products to the line.

 

[zedturtle]

I think it's a waste of a hire. I think the D&D team needs an experienced designer who can bring about some different products to the line.

As opposed to a fresh set of eyes that bring different products to the line?

— • —

More seriously, congratulations to Kate!

 

[WayOfTheFourElements]

I think it's a waste of a hire. I think the D&D team needs an experienced designer who can bring about some different products to the line.

I figure they wanted to hire a women to be more "progressive', and she was the best who applied.

That's what I hate most about this age of identity politics and affirmative action - you never know if targeted groups get into universities spots and job positions because they deserve it or because of they were the best from the university/business's pre-selected identity group.

Alternatively, maybe she's the best candidate for the job. Truth is, we'll never know.

 

[Cergorach]

So, what I'm getting here is that if the hire hadn't been a woman, and an attractive one at that, the forum wouldn't be in armchair quarterback mode in regards to the qualifications of the hire.

[synic]
I suspect that there would be a less comments. I would still have been curious about the new designer and would still have noted that there's no pnp RPG publishing credits. I don't know if someone would have posted the WotC requirements and I would have asked in the thread why this person would have gotten the job without pnp RPG credentials. Someone would have posted the WotC requirements and we would have been here without the gender 'thing'.
[/synic]

As for the whole gender 'thing', I grew up in the Netherlands, apparently a country where Gender Equality is a whole lot further along then it is in the US (or even the UK). Pre-puberty I had more female friends then male friends, I played with Barbies before I ever played with G.I. Joes. If boys did something against girls that wasn't acceptable you did something about it, just as you did something about girls against girls and boys against boys. Have I seen some horrible stuff that happens to females more then to males, unfortunately yes. But the toxic environment here and on many other sites and blogs when 'gender' related stuff comes up is unprecedented and oh the fool that wanders into the aisle between the two camps! Honestly, in my view the activists have done more harm to their cause then anyone else. And many have buckled under their pressure to do the wrong thing for the right reason, hiring people based on a perceived quota instead of on ability. When I actively try to avoid the newspapers, radio, regular news sites, and television in general, I still get infected by this... Crap here! Let me be clear in this case, after reading the requirements list from WotC, looking at her portfolio and my own experience recruiting/vetting people, miss Welch is a perfect candidate for the job. I also have no clue how she did in the interview, my experience is also that things on paper don't mean everything, I expect she did great as she got the job.

Imho the constant recurring argument is ineffectual, you don't tell people to change, you show people to change. Give the right example and others will follow. Expecting that everyone will follow is imho counterproductive, you raise people's hackles and achieve the opposite effect... Beating the gender or racial bias out of people just doesn't work, especially when your being an arrogant prick about it...

 

[Azzy]

I figure they wanted to hire a women to be more "progressive', and she was the best who applied.

That's what I hate most about this age of identity politics and affirmative action - you never know if targeted groups get into universities spots and job positions because they deserve it or because of they were the best from the university/business's pre-selected identity group.

Alternatively, maybe she's the best candidate for the job. Truth is, we'll never know.

Thank you for a reprehensible post.

 

[Enevhar Aldarion]

This position is not responsible for a third of the annual sales though.

Parmandur said product, not sales, as in she is now responsible for one of three new products per year.

 

[Schmoe]

I am not minimizing "her" position, I am minimizing the position itself as not that big a deal. It's not that the position is insignificant, it's that there have been a dozen people hired who are roughly as important to the team in the past few years and I have not seen any deal made out of those hires. I guess because this one was done through a community appeal rather than strictly through the HR department?

I don't understand why people would be up in arms about a simple design hire. I think she is perfectly fine for the job, I am just not sure why people seem so concerned about this position to begin with, when they had no concern over any other hires recently. And I guess I am coming to the conclusion it's because there was little to no coverage of those other hires, mostly because they were not done through a community appeal I guess?

If I recall, a lot of the initial excitement with this position was because the description implied that the position would be responsible for a new setting book. With all of the conversations about the 5e approach to setting resources, that is what originally focused the spotlight on the position. That's probably also why Morrus posted when it was filled, because the nature of the position itself is of such interest to the community here.

 

[Parmandur]

This position is not responsible for a third of the annual sales though. A huge portion of the annual sales is the core books. This position is a lead designer on one new book a year, which will then be reviewed by a higher up designer, and then be reviewed by a higher up editor. So while not insignificant, it's about the same level as most of the other hires they'e made for art and content and editing over the years. That doesn't mean those people are as important to your personal interests - you may not be as into the art and editing and formatting and such as you are the design. But in terms of the D&D team itself, this is not on the level of "one third of the entire team's responsibilities". It's not even a management position as far as I know.

And understand where most of my difficulties are coming from is the ongoing claim, which as far as I know you've never made, that WOTC's D&D team is operating on "a skeleton crew". That claim has been made by several people here at ENW, and it's a false claim. The D&D team is much bigger than it used to be. And making a huge deal (130 posts so far) out of ONE new non-manager designer being hired just helps those "skeleton crew" claiming people reinforce their argument.

Which is what I am really after here - let's not reinforce that "skeleton crew" claim by making it seem like hiring one new non-managerial designer is hugely significant to the D&D team overall that it's like adding another 1/3 more of the team. That wasn't the intent of your argument, but I can guarantee that's the spin some others will put on it.

The position is meaningful. But, it's also in the context of a much larger team than what used to be at WOTC for D&D. Just because this one was done through a community appeal, doesn't mean all those other hires WOTC quietly engaged in through their normal HR department are diminished either, or that somehow this hire meaningfully increases the number of people working on the D&D team.

I am glad they hired someone for this position, and I think this person will be good in the position. Just, don't reinforce the trolls out there claiming D&D is operating on a skeleton crew by shooting off fireworks over a single hire like it's taken three years to hire one new person to the team.

Certainly they haven't been working with a skeleton crew, but that doesn't take away from this being a major position on the team.

Sent from my [device_name] using EN World mobile app

 

[Parmandur]

I think it's a waste of a hire. I think the D&D team needs an experienced designer who can bring about some different products to the line.

Well, just because someone is experienced or not won't make you like or dislike their work: few are more experienced than Chris Perkins, not your favorite designer by a long shot.

Sent from my [device_name] using EN World mobile app

 

[Mistwell]

Parmandur said product, not sales, as in she is now responsible for one of three new products per year.

Yes I know. That's the "though" part of the sentence which was further explained by the "A huge portion of the annual sales is the core books. This position is a lead designer on one new book a year". Also noteworthy is the D&D division sells more than just books. They sell a ton of PDFs of older product, some non-book RPG products like DM screens, some licensed IP, etc.. The books relatively important to us here on what is mostly an RPG book discussion message board, but it's not even 1/3 of their new products per year, much less one third of their sales per year.

If I recall, a lot of the initial excitement with this position was because the description implied that the position would be responsible for a new setting book. With all of the conversations about the 5e approach to setting resources, that is what originally focused the spotlight on the position. That's probably also why Morrus posted when it was filled, because the nature of the position itself is of such interest to the community here.

I sure hope she, or someone, works on a setting book. My bias is for Greyhawk.

Certainly they haven't been working with a skeleton crew, but that doesn't take away from this being a major position on the team.

Sent from my [device_name] using EN World mobile app

Really all I care about is making sure the "skeleton crew" guys don't get support for their position. If you think of this as a major position on the team, I am fine with that. I think she will be good. I hope she works on a setting book.