Chris Perkins: Reintroducing Settings in Ways that Surprise People

WotC's D&D Story Manager, Chris Perkins, was the subject of an interview by a chap called Chris "Wacksteven" Iannitti. One of the topics covered is campaign setting books; Perkins says that they want to reintroduce settings in "surprising" ways, and that they're not guaranteed to be books. (thanks to Mistwell for the scoop)

The video is below, but if you can't watch it right now, here are the highlights as listed by pukunui on WotC's website:

• He can't talk about products that haven't been announced yet
• They value all of their worlds, as each one has "tons of fans"
• They are focusing on specific areas within settings to detail and "codify" via their story bibles
• Their goal is to "challenge people's expectations" re: sourcebooks
• They're "not interested in releasing books for the sake of releasing books anymore"
• They want book releases to be events that will "surprise and delight people"; they also want to put out books that people will actually use rather than books that will just get put on a shelf to "stay there and slowly rot"
• "One of our creative challenges is to package [setting] material - reintroduce facts and important details about our worlds - in a way that we know that DMs and players are going to use, that's going to excite them, that's actually going to surprise them. We may get that content out, but I'm not going to guarantee it's going to be a book. I'm not going to guarantee that it's going to be anything that you've seen before. But it will be something."

[video=youtube;alnwC34qUFs]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=alnwC34qUFs&feature=youtu.be[/video]
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[Mistwell]

In your opinion.

Here we have James Jacob from Paizo a month ago posting on these boards. I do not think Paizo staff is better than the WotC staff.

Irony right there.

Paizo still reads the forum. Them having the quantity of employees to read the forum is not the same as them having a "better" staff, but they sure have a lot more staff. So yeah, I am definitely saying Paizo reading the message board does not in any way indicate the D&D guys at WOTC read the message board.

Goldomark, are you saying one (of many) reasons you post to this message board is to send a message, in some fashion, to the D&D staff at WOTC?

 

[Mistwell]

Which forum is bigger than EN World outside of WOTC's?

I don't think it's polite to mention it, but I think we all know what forum I am referring to.

 

[Morrus]

So, are you sure they're still spending that time here?

They read this forum. I don't feel comfortable sharing anything more. Read into that whatever you choose.

 

[Mistwell]

They read this forum. I don't feel comfortable sharing anything more. Read into that whatever you choose.

OK, fair enough. And news. I think it's news that will result in people asking them about it, on Twitter and elsewhere.

 

[Hussar]

I don't think it's polite to mention it, but I think we all know what forum I am referring to.

No, I actually don't. That's why I asked. I was always under the impression, from those old maps that Morrus had up a while ago, that En World was a lot bigger than anyone else than WOTC.

 

[Morrus]

OK, fair enough. And news. I think it's news that will result in people asking them about it, on Twitter and elsewhere.

By "people" do you mean you?

 

[Mistwell]

By "people" do you mean you?

No. I'd worry that would draw heat down on you. In fact...I this this whole line of discussion was probably unwise and I should not have brought it up. But I think the cats out of the bag now, with the public confirmation that WOTC D&D employees are actively reading this message board.

 

[Morrus]

But I think the cats out of the bag now, with the public confirmation that WOTC D&D employees are actively reading this message board.

I'm pretty sure it's probably part of their job. Some of them will definitely tell you happily that they try to keep up with the whole community as best they can, whether their own or external ones. And I'm fairly certain it's Trevor Kidd's job to, to name just one - and he does post here (very, very occasionally).

 

[Remathilis]

I'm pretty sure it's probably part of their job. Some of them will definitely tell you happily that they try to keep up with the whole community as best they can, whether their own or external ones. And I'm fairly certain it's Trevor Kidd's job to, to name just one - and he does post here (very, very occasionally).

I do specifically recall [MENTION=697]mearls[/MENTION] posted here during the playtest or rollout to clarify something. It was a long time ago though.

 

[Umbran]

Russ, who still reads here? Which of the 13 remaining D&D employees is regulating READING the board...I know we've had a post or two, but reading? I mean, you're the only guy with access to that information.

Just to back up Morrus here - that's really none of your business. You think that, if they had not chosen to make it public, that we should out them? That would be professional conduct on our part?

You know, we've had conversations around here lately about how professionals get treated, and how WotC can't seem to ever have anything they do come across as positive. This makes a fine example: Engaging in what is possibly the most bleedingly obvious and cost-effective form of market research available to them is something they should be criticized for? Really?

And we wonder that they're distant?