D&D 5E (2024) Baldur's Gate Premier Game Jam, from the DMSGuilds & Storytelling Collective

[darjr]

They are partnering with Storytelling Collective, an online learning collective.

Looks like they'll mentor and publish your efforts. I've participated in game jams as a customer but never a creator. Interesting that DMSGuild, and presumably WotC are doing this. Is this part of the new direction of WotC and D&D? If so I think I really like this. See the blog for details.

DMsGuild Calls D&D Creators to Baldur’s Gate - Roll20 Blog

DMsGuild's Premiere Game Jam invites creators to submit 25-page or less D&D supplements themed on Baldur's Gate from October 1 to November 2, 2025, with a release event on November 4.

blog.roll20.net

We’re partnering with our amazing friends at Storytelling Collective to provide support and advice to creators for their submissions! Sign up for updates on workshops and other Game Jam events.
Thank you!



This game jam challenges you to create a themed, 25-page or less D&D supplement and submit it to us between October 1st - November 2, 2025. Then we’ll have a BIG release of everyone’s work on November 4, 2025 at 2PM PT!

It’s the perfect opportunity for aspiring creators to get their feet wet and for seasoned creators to lead and inspire within the community. We’re excited to continue helping 100’s of creators release incredible content on DMsGuild, and we cannot wait to launch this Game Jam!

Our theme is the fan-favorite locale, Baldur’s Gate!

 

[darjr]

Please let us know if you are participating.

 

[The Firebird]

I loved the idea of the fantasy setting search from 3E, and wondered why they never did anything like it. This isn't the same but still very cool!

 

[Whizbang Dustyboots]

Storytelling Collective is ... interesting. They charge a fee for several-times-a-year writing clinics, including adventure- and encounter-writing ones, which they then publish in big collected editions. I participated in one and it was fine, but I don't know that it necessarily taught me more than just diving into game jams on itch did for free.

Honestly, doing reviews of dozens of Appendix N Jam adventures was almost as good as any creative writing class I took in college, and without having to watch the professor creep on a 22 year old student in front of the whole class.

It's not clear to me what the Storytelling Collective's involvement is in this project.

I do think doing a big Baldur's Gate-themed adventure jam is a great idea (and long overdue), though. Folks who love the setting should definitely consider doing something. (And less is more, IMO. Trying for a 25-page adventure will probably result in something flabbier and less useful than aiming to do a five page adventure and making it tight, and then finding yourself going over a bit.)

 

[darjr]

Has anyone looked at the downloadable kit yet?

 

[sevenbastard]

(And less is more, IMO. Trying for a 25-page adventure will probably result in something flabbier and less useful than aiming to do a five page adventure and making it tight, and then finding yourself going over a bit.)

Im just going to add 17 pages of opening background read aloud box text to Steading of the Hill Giant Chief and call it a day.

 

[LuisCarlos17f]

Sorry, maybe I don't understand this very well. Is that self-publishing web anything like "Shōsetsuka ni Narō"?

If WotC bets and supports D&D fanfiction self-publishing my opinion is it is would be a very important step and it would be very good for the brand, but also being acording to the spirit of the franchise. D&D is not only PCs dungeon-cruwmling but also also those DM creating fanfiction during their worldbuildings.

Let's imagine new stories of Ravenloft mixing the gothic and the indie horror subgenres, or romantasy stories set in Birthrigh/Cerilia. Or maybe some story more focused into the comedy like Jem and the Holograms living their own isekai adventures within Dragonlance novels (and spoiler, they are song dragons, but nobody knows it, but Fizban, not even themself). Maybe if this works "Gamma World" could be "unlocked" in the self-publishing. Do you imagine self-publishing comics of "Dark Sun"? Or fanfiction showing alternate timelines of famous franchises, for example mixing my little pony and Witchlight, or mixing Dark Sun, Jackandor, Inhumanoids, Robotix and M.A.S.K. Or mixing G.I.Joe with Gamma World.

 

[Chaltab]

Please let us know if you are participating.

Huh... I might if I can make time for it.

 

[SlyFlourish]

Just a quick public service announcement to remind folks that once you write a product for the DMs Guild, your product is locked into a perpetual exclusive license with the DMs Guild forever. You can’t publish it anywhere else, ever, and are stuck with whatever changes they make in the future, including shutting it down completely. You’re also paying a percentage of your revenue with two different companies for a total of 50%.

That is, of course, the price of being able to use WOTC IP like Baldur’s Gate, which you can’t do anywhere else.

I bring this up because I’ve often seen game jams that focus on publishing on Itch.io and other platforms where creators maintain their distribution rights. With non-exclusive rights you can publish your works on Patreon or your own website or as a back catalog on future Kickstarters or as a marketing giveaway or anywhere else. You can’t do that with products you sell on the DMs Guild. Your DM Guild product is locked on that platform — forever.

 

[Burnside]

I've signed up.

FWIW, what @SlyFlourish says about the DMsGuild rules & licensing is 100% accurate, BUT that doesn't mean it's necessarily the wrong place to publish - it very much depends on what your goals are, where you're at career-wise as a creator, what your expectations are, and how important it is for a particular project to employ WotC's IP.

In this case, I'm interested because of the marketing support they're offering, and because Baldur's Gate is a fun setting for me which I haven't previously used in a product.

In my opinion, the real downside with DMsGuild isn't the licensing deal, which I honestly think is fair as long as people go in with eyes open. It's the fact that as a marketplace it is really, really saturated and production value standards are now so high that it's very difficult to be profitable.

By DMsGuild standards, while not a "big fish" I am reasonably successful (I have Platinum and Gold products) but I got into the market fairly early (2018) when you could still do well with relatively simple PDF products with low-frills layouts and there wasn't a tidal wave of products being published daily. I was able to get traction just by being relatively active in the creator community and my stuff being pretty good. I can't imagine trying to enter that market today - I feel like nobody would ever see my stuff.

If you are starting out today, something like this Jam might be a way to get a least SOME eyes on your thing.