D&D General Campaign Setting Contest: Should We Do It Again?

[Aldarc]

My point is, WOTC didn't steal anyone's ideas of those who did submit and the paranoia was just that - unfounded fear.

I believe that James Wyatt had said that the idea for death-worshipping elves in Eberron came from Rich Burlew's submission, so...

Good point! I remember Midnight having different (and quite good) takes on the Ranger and Monk classes, not to mention plenty of racial variants.

Thank you, but this insight came from the horse's mouth: Bill Slavicsek talks about the setting search and Eberron in one of Keith Baker's blog entries.

 

[Mistwell]

I believe that James Wyatt had said that the idea for death-worshipping elves in Eberron came from Rich Burlew's submission, so...

So Rich worked for WOTC. In fact as a result of that very contest Rich was hired by WOTC to write some stuff for them. Do we have different definitions of "steal" here?

Nobody had their submissions taken by WOTC and then used by WOTC for WOTC to make money off them, unless WOTC paid that person for work. It was a paranoid, unfounded fear.

 

[generic]

So Rich worked for WOTC. In fact as a result of that very contest Rich was hired by WOTC to write some stuff for them. Do we have different definitions of "steal" here?

Nobody had their submissions taken by WOTC and then used by WOTC for WOTC to make money off them, unless WOTC paid that person for work. It was a paranoid, unfounded fear.

Of course it was.

Honestly, it's pretty egotistical to think that you own every idea in your setting.

 

[Twiggly the Gnome]

From what I understand, the elves in Keith's proposal were basically what became the Valenar elves (ancestor worshiping steppe horsemen). One of the other designers remembered something similar in Rich's proposal involving the newly introduced deathless type, and incorporated into the setting as the Aerenal elves.

 

[Parmandur]

So Rich worked for WOTC. In fact as a result of that very contest Rich was hired by WOTC to write some stuff for them. Do we have different definitions of "steal" here?

Nobody had their submissions taken by WOTC and then used by WOTC for WOTC to make money off them, unless WOTC paid that person for work. It was a paranoid, unfounded fear.

Yeah, Rich's treatment was bought and paid for.

 

[Older Beholder]

I don't think they'd run a setting competition these days just based on the way they've put out settings so far -

Ravenloft was an adventure
Ravnica was a tool box of ideas

It seems like the focus isn't really on setting as much as how a setting can be presented in an interesting or more useful way.
Who knows though, maybe the Ebberon hardcover will be more like the campaign setting books of earlier editions?

I'd still be keen to see the results if the were to run a comp though, I just can't see it happening.

 

[CapnZapp]

My point is, WOTC didn't steal anyone's ideas of those who did submit and the paranoia was just that - unfounded fear.

Seems we are in agreement.

 

[lowkey13]

*Deleted by user*

 

[Greg Benage]

Yo, Midnight wasn’t part of the setting search! It was already published by that point. Dawnforge was our submission and made the semi-semi-finals (the top 10 or whatever).

On DF, I don’t recall there being anything in the final doc about new classes or racial levels - that’s how we developed it after we lost. I expect it would have been developed differently by Wizards if we’d won.

As the author, I think where we fell down on Dawnforge is that we wrote a really big high-concept check but failed to cash it when we described the kinds of adventures PCs would have. They came off a bit vanilla.

Anyway, nice trip down Memory Alley. Cheers!

 

[Gradine]

However, I think it would be awesome. Sure, not everyone would be involved or stoked. But it would great to get a new generation thinking about it! I would love to see what people now would come up with- I bet it would be really cool. I know that DM's Guild (and other places) allow for self-publication, but there is something ... exciting ... about the official recognition and the contest.

To be fair, though, you explicitly cannot publish a new D&D setting on DM's Guild.