WotC: Stop sitting on Rich Burlew's setting (you own the rights!) - publish it for 5E too!

[Mistwell]

But one of those things is ... not like the others.

Burlew's world, as far as you know, doesn't even have a name. It's just a pitch.

If he cared enough, he could ask them to release the rights back so he could release the pitch idea. But whatever it is, isn't going to be all that.

Actually second place not only had a name, but it had a pretty full outline. The further you got in the contest the more details you had to provide, and second place provided a lot of details. Definitely a name. Heck, most initial entries had a name I believe. I know mine did (Resonance).

 

[Pauper]

There were three finalists (including Eberron), and each of the creators was paid $10K for reaching the finals. That's the main reason WotC retains the rights to those settings.

I've seen speculation that WotC likely won't publish the other two finalist settings because they've basically strip-mined those settings for ideas they've already incorporated into other products; if true, then it's probably a good thing that the settings as a whole would not be released, since the 'good parts' are already out there as part of other products.

Some of the semi-finalists, though, did ultimately release their settings as OGL products; I picked up a copy of Ronald Scott Kennan's "Morningstar", out of curiosity, but never ended up doing anything with it.

--
Pauper

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Dungeonosophy]

This was directed at the OP. In other words, it is really hard to get fired up for a concept that was never released and doesn't even have a name that is known to the public.

I'm sure RB had a name for it.

Yeah, it's hard to get fired up. But the 2nd and 3rd place worlds are probably pretty good - they beat out thousands of other entries. And they're owned by WotC. And apparently, WotC is planning to release a bunch of settings. So it's natural to make a call for them to be released alongside (not instead of) the Classic settings.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Parmandur]

Burlew definitively shot this idea down years ago:


“Fifth, regarding seeing parts of it, you already have. While I can't give specifics, rest assured that I could list a dozen or so ideas (and at least one recurring mechanic) that have popped up in various 3.5 sourcebooks after the setting search that originated from my world. And that's not even counting more subtle influences. The one thing I can say, because WOTC employee James Wyatt already let it out of the bag years ago: The death-worshipping elves of Arenal were a suggestion WOTC staff made to Keith Baker to add into Eberron after the contest was won but before the book was published. The core idea, however—death-worshipping elves—was lifted by WOTC from my setting. (Note that Keith did not know this at the time, and his elves are still VERY different from mine.) So, they have been getting their money's worth out of the purchase all along; it hasn't so much been sitting in a drawer as cannibalized, at least while 3.5 was still going. I daresay that if my setting were released today, a lot of it would seem very been-there, done-that as a result.”


http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?202413-Rich-Burlew-s-Campaign-setting/page4

 

[Parmandur]

But not to put too fine a point on it, but just ... well, just look-

Forgotten Realms
Nentir Vale
Dragon Fist
Thunder Rift
Ghostwalk
Planescape
Ravenloft
Pelinore
Council of Wyrms
Dragonlance
Birthright
Mahasarpa
Jakandor
Dark Sun
Eberron
Spelljammer
Greyhawk
Lankhmar
Mystara

Those are all full campaign settings that they haven't released yet for 5e that they could*, and this is before getting into sub-settings (Al Qadim, Kara Tur, etc.).

So ... it is REALLY HARD to get excited about a product no one knows about, that we can't even name, and was never developed, when there are already tons of campaign settings to use. Not to mention probably being able to easily license other classic settings (Wilderlands of High Fantasy).

Follow me?

*I'm assuming; I don't know, for example, if they still have the license to Lankhmar.

Goodman Games has the exclusive RPG rights to Lankhmar at the moment, I believe.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

But not to put too fine a point on it, but just ... well, just look-

Forgotten Realms
Nentir Vale
Dragon Fist
Thunder Rift
Ghostwalk
Planescape
Ravenloft
Pelinore
Council of Wyrms
Dragonlance
Birthright
Mahasarpa
Jakandor
Dark Sun
Eberron
Spelljammer
Greyhawk
Lankhmar
Mystara

Those are all full campaign settings that they haven't released yet for 5e that they could*, and this is before getting into sub-settings (Al Qadim, Kara Tur, etc.).

I like your list - and I'm for all of those being released too, and soon! The two Setting Search worlds would be in addition to, and perhaps after, the classic worlds are released. Yet so many people at ENWorld have called for "new worlds" - well, why not publish these two as-yet-unseen (and thus "new-to-us") WotC worlds?

Just to niggle with your good list: I believe Chris Pramas now owns Dragon Fist outright, so I think it'd take a license agreement to make the Tianguo setting fully a part of the D&D Multiverse. I might be mistaken tho.
And Thunder Rift is located (somewhere) on Mystara - it's a Mystara subsetting - even though it doesn't have an exact placement on the map, the two lead designers of Thunder Rift have said in interviews that it's located on either of the two unexplored continents of Mystara.

So ... it is REALLY HARD to get excited about a product no one knows about, that we can't even name, and was never developed, when there are already tons of campaign settings to use.

Well, I'm not asking anyone to get *super enthuasiastic*...just a little enthusiastic. C'mon, it'd be cool to see the "lost" Setting Search worlds.

Not to mention probably being able to easily license other classic settings (Wilderlands of High Fantasy). *I'm assuming; I don't know, for example, if they still have the license to Lankhmar.
Follow me?

Well, yeah WotC could probably make one-time agreements to do 5E conversions of Wilderlands, like they did for Kalamar, Diablo II, and Warcraft. But these are still "non-WotC" IPs--it'd take a whole nother level of doing to make one of these IPs a permanent part of the D&D Multiverse, and so continue to refer to those worlds from now on. WotC would either need to buy the IP outright, or make a special "perpetual license" agreement. I'm not so interested in just making 5E conversions without tying it into the D&D Multiverse. I mean, Judges Guild could make a 5E Wilderlands using the SRD, but it wouldn't be a part of the D&D Multiverse.

As for Lankhmar, I believe Pinnacle games is the most recent license-holder: Savage Worlds Lankhmar. 5E WotC products never refer to Lankhmar.

 

[Dungeonosophy]

Burlew definitively shot this idea down years ago:


“Fifth, regarding seeing parts of it, you already have. While I can't give specifics, rest assured that I could list a dozen or so ideas (and at least one recurring mechanic) that have popped up in various 3.5 sourcebooks after the setting search that originated from my world. And that's not even counting more subtle influences. The one thing I can say, because WOTC employee James Wyatt already let it out of the bag years ago: The death-worshipping elves of Arenal were a suggestion WOTC staff made to Keith Baker to add into Eberron after the contest was won but before the book was published. The core idea, however—death-worshipping elves—was lifted by WOTC from my setting. (Note that Keith did not know this at the time, and his elves are still VERY different from mine.) So, they have been getting their money's worth out of the purchase all along; it hasn't so much been sitting in a drawer as cannibalized, at least while 3.5 was still going. I daresay that if my setting were released today, a lot of it would seem very been-there, done-that as a result.”


http://www.giantitp.com/forums/showthread.php?202413-Rich-Burlew-s-Campaign-setting/page4

Thanks for the info Parmandur. Still, "a dozen or so ideas (and at least one recurring mechanic)" do not exhaust a setting. I mean, even "Burlew's World" shares those features with Eberron, it'd still have its own world map, place names, gods, species, and cultures. So what if it has some similarities with Eberron. So does Mystara (airships). That doesn't mean Mystara should be shot down.

If WotC would get a world-hopping meta-setting in place ("Chrono-plane-jammer"), then they'd be in position to release all of worlds (and more!) as one-shot books (or web-only PDFs) or chapters in a multi-setting sampler book. Just keep the Adventurers League coming back to FR after world-hopping, and you've kept FR as the central home base. Voila!

 

[grimslade]

Rich Burlew's setting search setting has been strip-mined for parts for a number of different products. Also, 15 years later, a rough outline would be pretty stale. I would love to see a new setting made by Burlew. The man is creative and it would be nice to have a new setting for a new edition finally. of course I would love to see another setting search for 5th. It was a bonanza of good press for 3.5 and D&D.