And here it is....the WotC contest Delay.

[William Ronald]

I think it is wiser to do a thorough job of reading through the submissions then trying to meet a deadline. WotC hopes to find the next big setting with this contest, so a thorough review of the submissions makes sense.

Also, Anthony Valterra has said that he will be available to answer questions at Origins and Gen Con. So, this may give the authors of the 10 second-round submissions a chance to learn more of what to include in the next phase of the setting search process.

 

[Xeriar]

Water worlds with Islands.

With most worlds being largely water... Too easy to add to an existing, or winning setting.

Flying cities world

Mystara did this. I don't think that setting was the first, though...

Golden age of magic setting

Isn't that FR almost?
It needs something else. Like the above or below. Otherwise, as my DM describes his own ultra-magic campaign, it's 'FR on crack.'

apocalyptic world setting

This will show up a lot. And there is a good consumer base for it, however it needs a twist to be picked.

dragon setting

I do not think redoing Dragonlance will appeal to the judges, just my opinion.

demonic setting

WotC no doubt gets enough complaints about demons already...

evil has taken over the whole world setting

Shouldn't this be with the apocolyptic setting? In nature if not in style, I mean. Dark Sun and Ravenloft were two very popular settings, even if they did not quite cut it.

Considering the success of White Wolf's World of Darkness line, no doubt they will give this one an eye. But it would need to be among the best of them to be picked.

 

[dema]

I think I got it??

Water worlds with Islands. <check>

Flying cities world <check>
Golden age of magic setting <check>
apocalyptic world setting <check>
dragon setting <check>
demonic setting <check>
evil has taken over the whole world setting <check>



I think i got it all.

Of course with a 1233 word submission you'd think everything imaginable would fit. Just hope it didn't hit the trash at first glance.

 

[Undead Pete]

I can't believe anyone would be dumb enough to submit a flying city setting.

Haven't people read the DeathGate Cycle??

SNOOOORRE!!

 

[River]

A delay was a sure thing. It'll be a long month. Perhaps they'll announce at GenCon...

I've been skimming a lot of threads on different sites and have come up with the following common world themes.

Water worlds with Islands.
Flying cities world
Golden age of magic setting
apocalyptic world setting
dragon setting
demonic setting
evil has taken over the whole world setting

Anyone do any of these?

gary p.

%$&^$!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

And I thought my water world with flying islands world ruled by demonic dragons in an apocolyptic age of magic setting was SO ORIGINAL!

Dang You! Dang you to HECK!

River


P.S. Later Editorial comment: I was just joking above... But if thats really the worlds their getting then the: "Water world with flying islands world ruled by demonic dragons in an apocolyptic age of magic setting." May just be one or more of the ones they pick! They want to make a product that they know people will buy, and what are people more likely to buy then a world that plugs in well to their existing settings?????

I don't subscribe to Dragon Magazine, but I have a friend who does. Which of his issues do you think I borrow, the ones that have nothing to do with the world I run, or the ones with material that I can use?????

 

[arcseed]

Sucks. Another month before we get to see folks post their one pagers. Oh, well.

 

[Staffan]

Isn't that FR almost?
It needs something else. Like the above or below. Otherwise, as my DM describes his own ultra-magic campaign, it's 'FR on crack.'

(about the "golden age of magic" thing)
Nah. The FR spinoff Arcane Age: Netheril is a golden age of magic. Plain FR isn't, it's just the level of magic assumed by the core rules.

 

[svwilson]

The Common Ones

I sent in my Water Worlds with Islands. Someone tell me why I was only one of a zillion?

I never had time to finish my Flying cities world. (Actually it was a Flying Islands World. So there.)

As for my third, which I did submit -- heh, heh. See you in Round Two, gang!

 

[your father is]

I've been skimming a lot of threads on different sites and have come up with the following common world themes.

Water worlds with Islands.
Flying cities world
Golden age of magic setting
apocalyptic world setting
dragon setting
demonic setting
evil has taken over the whole world setting

Anyone do any of these?

gary p.

All of these themes are too limited to be picked. The winning settings will be ones in which any of the above themes--or any other themes--can be explored. It needs to be a place where all of us can feel at home.

To be a contender for the top honor, your world needs to be a place where it makes sense to tell old-fashioned fight-the-monster-get-the-treasure stories as well as intricate, continuing arc stories.

In order to deliver the kind of product Wizards is looking for, a setting must do either one of two things:

1) It must employ a device that allows vastly different--indeed, almost mutually exclusive--kinds of situations and characters to coexist, or

2) It must have a very distinct flavor, but one that doesn't limit the scope of the fantasy world.

In either case, in order to allow as great an audience as possible, the setting chosen must have a simple enough backstory for anyone to be able to pick up a novel and not be lost, but complex enough to drive story arcs.

 

[your father is]

I don't subscribe to Dragon Magazine, but I have a friend who does. Which of his issues do you think I borrow, the ones that have nothing to do with the world I run, or the ones with material that I can use?????

This is an excellent point. In order for new material to continue to be written about your world, it needs to have room for all terrains, all fantasy races, and all campaigns. It needs to allow for jungle warfare, submarine adventures, and journeys to underground Dwarven strongholds... and be totally original!