What if the 2012 Setting was Fan Created?

[catastrophic]

I don't think anybody's denying that, but going 'oh nos herd of cat aieee' isn't really legit if there is a clear and coherent structure involved.

 

[Dice4Hire]

I don't think anybody's denying that, but going 'oh nos herd of cat aieee' isn't really legit if there is a clear and coherent structure involved.

Sorry but from what I have seen it is. Unless of course, you only use a few fans. Which is what usually happens on RPG boards like this one when they try to make a campaign setting.

Lots of people have ideas, mostly contradictory.

Some are chosen and a lot of people quit in disgust or anger.

A small group of people do more work, but it generally fizzles out.

If the subset of players doing the work gets small enough, might as well call them freelancers.

Which could work.

 

[catastrophic]

What i'm talking about, for the third time, is a structured system with clear opt-in opt-out and selection featuers, not an unstructured free-for-all. If you can't tell the difference, that's your problem, but don't waste our time with your error.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

It needs to be managed within confines of a defined scope. Sorry, I can't help but to put on my project management hat. You need to corral the herd or else you will get nothing but chaos. The Midgard project over at Open Design is probably the best example. There are specific guidelines and a structure already built, then patrons can come running in and help flesh out the world.

It can work, but not without strict guidelines and oversight.

Wolfgang Bauer pulls it off all the time. I don't think ANY Open Design projects have turned out badly. I guess there could be a brick or two in there somewhere as I haven't read all of them, but I was in on one and I've got a couple of others. Courts of the Shadow Fey is arguably about the best 4e adventure out there. I think they've also been doing a cooperative setting design with Midgard as well.

So, you're right. You need the proper management of the project. Someone with a lot of design experience and the talent to actualize the product. Wolfgang is easily capable of designing good stuff on his own to start with and is really about at the top of the heap of adventure designers. WotC would have to find someone equally talented at both the design and project management aspects, though they might be able to manage with a couple of people filling those roles.

This kind of thing is in any case quite doable, has been done multiple times in the past, is being done right now as we speak, and almost certainly is something WotC is at least technically capable of attempting with a good chance of success. I kind of suspect they're a little too top-down though. Big shops get risk-averse and tend to run things that way. I think it would probably be a bit too scary for them to invest a lot of time and money into a project that might turn something out that doesn't fit with their overall marketing vision of what they think D&D is about. I think Mike and the other D&D team people might be game for it. I just think they'd have a hard time selling the idea to their bosses. Of course I could be totally wrong, hopefully.

 

[Matt James]

I'm not sure WotC needs to do things this way. They have a pool of freelancers that have an immense amount of experience. The open projects work much better in smaller shops. Not to mention, turn-around for a smaller publisher is notably quicker. I believe it was only several months from the time that I handed over my manuscript for Soldiers of Fortune that KQ had it in print. WotC is a larger ship and it takes a lot of lead time.

 

[Tony Vargas]

And I don't mean in the "Best design contest" sort of way Ebberon was done. I mean in a collaborative anyone can get involved (or maybe anyone with a DDI account) sort of way.

Ah, yeah, the 'best design contest...' "hey our buddy's setting that we've been playing in won! what a coincidence!"

I think they've burned that bridge. Anyone with a DDI account getting to 'contribute' to 'suggestions.' That'd work. With as many DDI subs as there are, every possible suggestion would end up getting made, and they could 'go with' whatever they wanted to do anyway. The sense of involvement should sell a lot of DDI and generate ethusiasm for the product, though.

 

[AbdulAlhazred]

Ah, yeah, the 'best design contest...' "hey our buddy's setting that we've been playing in won! what a coincidence!"

I think they've burned that bridge. Anyone with a DDI account getting to 'contribute' to 'suggestions.' That'd work. With as many DDI subs as there are, every possible suggestion would end up getting made, and they could 'go with' whatever they wanted to do anyway. The sense of involvement should sell a lot of DDI and generate ethusiasm for the product, though.

Lol, there's some truth to this of course. OTOH nobody on Earth has all the good ideas. One really good and well thought out suggestion with some genuine creativity behind it can do a lot.

 

[the Jester]

Ok... so now explain to me the disaster part.

Perhaps you misunderstood which iteration of Castle Greyhawk I'm referring to (WG14).

 

[SSquirrel]

Wikipedia edit wars suggest it's a bad idea.

Not to mention the entire history of Linux heh