D&D General Win The Title of D&D's Best DM

WotC is running a competition called the Dungeon Master Challenge. Similar to Paizo's old RPG Superstar contest, it features various design rounds which whittle down the contenders until only one remains.

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The winner gets a trophy and some D&D products worth just over $2K.

Note: your entry becomes the property of WotC, which can use it in any way it wishes, even if you don't win. They don't even have to credit you for it. Be sure to consider this when deciding whether to enter.

• The first design challenge for a 1,000-word entry is Thursday June 17th, and contestants have three days to submit their entries. This round is open to everybody who qualifies (18+, in one of a list of countries).
• 10 contestants will then proceed to the next round in July, which is an elimination stage with various weekly 1,000-word design challenges.
• Three of those will go on to the final challenge in September, which involved being a DM on a livestream, judged by a panel.

What's a Freelance RPG Writer Worth?

Freelance writers (as opposed to those on salary) tend to be paid per word. The rate varies from publisher to publisher, and on how experienced the writer is. Ed Greenwood, for example, can command a much higher rate than a new writer can. Obviously only you, the freelancer, can decide...

www.enworld.org

 

[Disgruntled Hobbit]

Every last word we used was paid for. What’s with the attitude?

No attitude. Just needling
Teasing ever so slightly, as you're so adamant about paying but I remember reading a reddit comment from someone who submitted to En5ider and had an article or two collected but didn't get anything extra for making content worth reprinting

 

[Rabulias]

Perhaps this will lead to adding folks to the Guild Adepts program, which seems to be stalled?

 

[Morrus]

No attitude. Just needling
Teasing ever so slightly, as you're so adamant about paying but I remember reading a reddit comment from someone who submitted to En5ider and had an article or two collected but didn't get anything extra for making content worth reprinting

We pay for the non-exclusive right to use the work with full credit, while also returning the copyright to the author to do with as they will. Very, very different to what we're talking about here. Though somebody complaining publicly that we exercised the rights we paid them for is pretty darn unprofessional.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Perhaps this will lead to adding folks to the Guild Adepts program, which seems to be stalled?

The radio silence about what's happened to the Adepts program makes me think they're not sure whether or not to continue it. They could have easily said "sit tight; we have a big announcement coming later this year," referring to this contest, but haven't.

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

The bottom line: Ideas are cheap. Implementation is the hard part. Even if WotC is using this as some sort of recruiting drive, rather than doing an American Idol thing and getting a new fresh face for the brand for the year, the initial giant slush pile of ideas is less important than the 10 people who make the cut.

The folks who, out of the thousands who enter, actually were able to do something interesting with their idea (even if their ideas aren't the most compelling elevator pitches) are the important ones. And the two who do the best with the next stage (which I am pretty certain will be developing the adventures meant for the livestream competition) will most likely be the ones most capable of creating something professional quality.

But, as has been said repeatedly, WotC has the ability to get all sorts of people, inside and outside the industry, to write for them already. This is a fun publicity thing getting a lot of attention for the brand, creating a new brand ambassador or two, etc.

And if they do get 10 adventures worthy of being compiled in a book next year? So much the better for all involved. (They will pay those folks for their further development and work -- they don't need the black eye and can afford to pay them.)

 

[an_idol_mind]

No attitude. Just needling
Teasing ever so slightly, as you're so adamant about paying but I remember reading a reddit comment from someone who submitted to En5ider and had an article or two collected but didn't get anything extra for making content worth reprinting

I've had some of my work collected in that manner. It was paid for when published. I didn't get paid again when it was collected, but that was not expected or required. Everything that happened was above board.

 

[pming]

Hiya!

Their ideas won't get "used." They're not being published. If WizCo wants to reprint, they WILL pay for the idea
Them owning it now just protects them from lawsuits

That's not what "ownership" means. WotC can use those ideas whole-cloth...directly or indirectly, or however they want. They own them...not the person who created it. WotC could for example, go to another freelancer and say "Hey, here's an idea [insert contestants idea]. Work that into this adventure, please".

I fully appreciate the REASON they insist on "ownership of..." anything you submit, for exactly the reason you stated. That's not my contention. It's that they didn't put in stipulations on "If your idea is ever used by us, we'll give you a mentioning credit as inspiration". As I said...it's an artist thing, really. Basically like "fan art" to some degree: "Here's my artwork! It's inspired by Akira and My Little Pony". Simple, courteous and the right thing to do.

As for not helping anyone but themselves... that's what they were doing up until now!!
They cannot help everyone. But after the contest there will be ten people called out and three spotlighted
Which is better than now
You're complaining because WizCo is only helping new ten people potentially break into the industry rather than ten thousand

You're arguing that because they can't help everyone they shouldn't help anyone

No, I'm not at all. You completely misread my concern: that WotC is getting all these ideas....from the horrible to the amazing, with most in between. A GREAT many of them...horrible or amazing...can provide inspiration for, or outright development of, those ideas into a cool product....and EVERYONE who isn't one of those "chosen few", gets...nothing at all if their idea is used to inspire something else. That's just dirty pool, really. At least in my book.

It's akin to asking a dozen artists to give you their best artwork...and you'll pay for the best one, but you still get to OWN ALL OF THEM. Does that seem anywhere near fair to you? Probably not. Now, would that person then take the other 11 artworks and just start making prints available for sale? Probably not...but they can. And they can also then take, say, 4 of them to the artist who DID get paid and say "Hey, try and implement these 4 other artists works somehow...modify them and whatnot to make it fit your idea, but use these ideas at least. They're pretty cool"...and then never giving any recognition to those 4 other artists.

That's "used car salesman" type of vibe for me.

The options are:

• they can do the contest without legal protection and get sued when a designer does a similar idea
• they can do the contest with legal protection and creative people have to give up an idea
• they can skip the contest

The first and last option are undesirable or ho-hum
It's the middle option where the fun exists
If you only have one good idea and don't want to give up, then skip the contest and your life is exactly the same as if they went option 3

As I said...I think you missed my point. It wasn't about the "legally owning". I think that's standard and a pretty reasonable thing for a company/person to do when creating such a contest. Too many people out there with VERY little grasp on how the law, especially copyright law, works would see their idea (or something they THINK is their idea), and try and cash in.

So, again, "we own this" is NOT MY CONTENTION. It's that WotC has a great opportunity to garner some brownie points with their customers and contestants with a simple thing: "Submissions that we gain inspiration for will be mentioned in the publications credits". Something like that. A gesture that says "If you enter, and your idea is good, but doesn't win, and we use it or take inspiration from it, we'll give you a mention".

It's better than Paizo where the opening round was always the same. So people planned and brainstormed a magic item for a full year before submitting, giving up the best magic item idea they had in twelve months. Because the reveal comes three days before the deadline, everyone is creating fresh

And c'mon, if you have a great idea and haven't published it already, then it doesn't matter if WizCo owns them. They're not doing anything for you right now. What are you waiting for?

Everyone has great ideas...but usually far more mediocre and some real stinkers. The trick is figuring out which is which.

The people who will enter this are people who don't care if their stuff is given away. Personally, I'd have no problem entering...but I wouldn't enter some of my best ideas. Because if I didn't win...I loose ownership of those ideas. Even IF WotC did the "Mention" thing I would have liked them to have, I still wouldn't. I'd rather have the OPTION to publish, show, share or develop derivative works from it. But just brainstorming and coming up with a cool idea or three and entering? Yeah, I can see a lot of folks doing that. But I think that ANY DM that has any sense of pride for their work would be a fool to take their best ideas/works and just sign them over to WotC on the hopes of winning $2100 worth of "D&D Stuff".

(as an aside, I was in this very position once; regarding Darkurthe Legends; "Well, I can't promise anything, but if you send me/them all your ideas I can send those to them to see if they are interested and they might hire you as a contributor". ...I passed... I still have all my ideas and the company in question that my stuff was going to get sent do went bankrupt about 2 years later...)

^_^

Paul L. Ming

 

[Disgruntled Hobbit]

I fully appreciate the REASON they insist on "ownership of..." anything you submit, for exactly the reason you stated. That's not my contention. It's that they didn't put in stipulations on "If your idea is ever used by us, we'll give you a mentioning credit as inspiration". As I said...it's an artist thing, really. Basically like "fan art" to some degree: "Here's my artwork! It's inspired by Akira and My Little Pony". Simple, courteous and the right thing to do.

That'd be horrible
If they're using someone's idea they should pay for it
Even as inspiration

Getting a credit for inspiration is just a pat on the head while being paid in exposure
**** that

And if they said that, lots of people entering the contest would think that was a possibility
It won't be
Most of the ideas will never really be looked at and just skimmed. There'll be too many to read fully

No, I'm not at all. You completely misread my concern: that WotC is getting all these ideas....from the horrible to the amazing, with most in between. A GREAT many of them...horrible or amazing...can provide inspiration for, or outright development of, those ideas into a cool product....and EVERYONE who isn't one of those "chosen few", gets...nothing at all if their idea is used to inspire something else. That's just dirty pool, really. At least in my book.

Ideas are a dime a dozen
They have access to everything on the DMsGuild already. They have a team of a dozen writers. They don't need to borrow ideas from fans

It's akin to asking a dozen artists to give you their best artwork...and you'll pay for the best one, but you still get to OWN ALL OF THEM. Does that seem anywhere near fair to you? Probably not. Now, would that person then take the other 11 artworks and just start making prints available for sale? Probably not...but they can. And they can also then take, say, 4 of them to the artist who DID get paid and say "Hey, try and implement these 4 other artists works somehow...modify them and whatnot to make it fit your idea, but use these ideas at least. They're pretty cool"...and then never giving any recognition to those 4 other artists.

It's very different. Because it's the best artwork they can produce in three days
It's their best sketch
The contest seems to expect 1000 words. That's nothing. You wrote two-thirds of that replying to me

As I said...I think you missed my point. It wasn't about the "legally owning". I think that's standard and a pretty reasonable thing for a company/person to do when creating such a contest. Too many people out there with VERY little grasp on how the law, especially copyright law, works would see their idea (or something they THINK is their idea), and try and cash in.

So, again, "we own this" is NOT MY CONTENTION. It's that WotC has a great opportunity to garner some brownie points with their customers and contestants with a simple thing: "Submissions that we gain inspiration for will be mentioned in the publications credits". Something like that. A gesture that says "If you enter, and your idea is good, but doesn't win, and we use it or take inspiration from it, we'll give you a mention".

Why would they do that?
The fans are stupid. They hear what they want to hear. If they say something like that people would assume it was a guarantee not a longshot

When the Dungeon Master's Guild launched it suggested that the best content MIGHT make it into an official book
Nothing made it into an official book
And three or four creators there made it as freelancers
Because the DnD team is full of people who have good ideas and like their own ideas over other people's. They don't need to look for inspiration

The people who will enter this are people who don't care if their stuff is given away. Personally, I'd have no problem entering...but I wouldn't enter some of my best ideas. Because if I didn't win...I loose ownership of those ideas. Even IF WotC did the "Mention" thing I would have liked them to have, I still wouldn't. I'd rather have the OPTION to publish, show, share or develop derivative works from it. But just brainstorming and coming up with a cool idea or three and entering? Yeah, I can see a lot of folks doing that. But I think that ANY DM that has any sense of pride for their work would be a fool to take their best ideas/works and just sign them over to WotC on the hopes of winning $2100 worth of "D&D Stuff".

If you only have the one good idea then you probably shouldn't enter
And if you're likely to publish that idea elsewhere for money, you also don't need the contest
And if you're not, it doesn't matter who owns the idea. You can use it just fine in your home game

Also, you can't copyright an idea. If you want to revisit the idea after the fact, you can just rewrite it and reframe the idea, and use it elsewhere just fine

 

[Smackpixi]

WOTC owns everything published on dmsguild.com right? Some epically great stuff on there they’ve never bothered to use. They absolutely should, way better than their stuff. But they don’t. They lazy. Object on principle grounds all you want, they are to lazy to “steal”.

Reminds me of this salesman we tried to hire, he was good at sales, knew nothing of insurance though, thought we could train him. He had to sign a non-piracy agreement, anyone he sold insurance to for us, he would be barred from soliciting for another agency for three years. He refused. “My sales Are my sales you don’t own them, that’s naughty word”…we thought maybe he didn’t understand, cause common agreement, no he understood, just was weirdo.

 

[Zardnaar]

I don't think I can and don't want to Livestream in any event.

My basic idea though that's probably unique is something based off New Zealand geography and native species.

My submitted species would be Tuatara or Kea folk and the adventure would involves a super volcano.

Taupo Volcano - Wikipedia

And include some title they won't understand but will stand out. Highly doubt it would make the finals hut my submission would be somewhat unique and stand out.

Te Tai Tokerau or Nova Zealandia Nestor Nobilus. Use Maori language or latin.

Reasonably sure they wouldn't get to many submissions with a title like that or content.

Realistically I doubt anything I do would be fit to publish as I short hand everything.