[rant-ish] The Universe Would Be More Amazing If Coincidences Didn't Happen

[Ranes]

When I got into 3e, which was only just over a year ago, I had been out of touch with D&D for several years. I was ignorant of almost everything D&D-related that had been written or published since the late eighties. Nevertheless, as soon as I heard about the WotC fantasy setting search (which I learned about soon after coming across EN World), I decided to enter it.

I discounted the idea of reworking one of my old campaigns. Instead, I sat down with a notepad and decided to try to think of something new. I narrowed down a list of basic concepts to four ideas and considered each carefully, until only one remained. I spent weeks thinking about that single idea before drafting the outline that I would eventually submit. In fact, I didn't even commit a single key stroke to the word processor until the very last day of the challenge. Even then, I watched England getting kicked out of the World Cup before I retreated to the study. (My approach may seem arrogant but, over the years, I've found that I often produce my best work when I'm under pressure.)

Off went the proposal, a couple of hours later. I knew from posts on these message boards that my chances of success were infinitesimally slim but I enjoyed the process, so winning didn't matter, although of course it would have been marvellous.

Like most, my submission never made it beyond that first round. So it goes. So what's the point of this post? Well, just to share my recent discovery. A few minutes ago, I read a synopsis of FFG's Midnight. It made me laugh and cringe at the same time. It is very, very similar to my proposal or rather, my proposal was very similar to it; I appreciate that it was in development before I even put pencil to paper, let alone sat down at the keyboard.

On the one hand, given the fact that FFG published Midnight to what seems to have been a fair amount of critical acclaim, I cannot help but feel that my somewhat convergent concept wasn't too bad. On the other, I can't help wondering what the Wizards judges must have thought of my submission, as they were surely aware of FFG's project at the time. I belatedly plead not guilty to the charge of plagiarism.

Er, that's it. I just needed to get that one out of my system, not that it matters. Thanks.

 

[Bloodstone Mage]

When I read the description for Midnight a few weeks ago, it sounded like the current campaign I was running combined with a homebrew world idea that I had about a year ago. Not that that's the same thing, but it sure is darn close.

Coincidences happen. What counts is sorting out the ones that matter from the ones that don't. I'm a believer of Jung's collective unconscious theory, so it's not surprising that unrelated and unconnected people have the same idea for a creative piece of work. I'm pretty sure a lot of people had the concept of Midnight before it came out.

That is good to be assured that a work similar to your own is popular. I mean, yeah, you don't get the money or the credit, but just to know that it is possible, and that you've got good ideas churning in your head, it's assuring.

Cheers!

 

[coyote6]

There's a fellow that posts on Pyramid (and writes GURPS books) that's running a campaign that has the same premise as what was clearly the inspiration for Midnight: what if Sauron won?

(Since it's his home campaign, he doesn't have to worry about copyright problems, so he can use Tolkien's world without problems.)

In any case, he first mentioned it a year ago, maybe two, IIRC.

"Great minds think alike", eh?

 

[Ranes]

To be sure, great minds think alike. And fools seldom differ. No, seriously, I appreciate that people have similar ideas quite independently of each other. I just wish I'd taken more time to review what was already in development by others before I wrote my proposal. I had spent some time loking into campaign settings that had been published while I'd been out of the D&D loop, so that I didn't accidentally replicate one of those. Oh well.

Several years ago, I was working for a computer game developer, as a writer. I was asked to provide ideas for magic spells for use in a particular game the company had under development. The document I produced comprised one hundred and forty ideas, almost all of which would sound familiar to readers of these boards. One of them was the idea that the player could cast a spell that would temporarily transform him into one of the other creatures in the game. I'm sure no one here is unfamiliar with the concept of metamorphosis. Nevertheless, when my document was submitted to the team for its consideration, a young designer in my department was outraged. Although I had been entirely unaware of it, he had been quietly working on a game proposal based entirely on that concept. When he saw my document, he began protesting to some of his colleagues that I had stolen his idea!

I felt slighted and shocked at the same time. It wasn't as if I was claiming ownership of the concept, unlike my young colleague.

This is, of course, why game developers have submission agreements.

 

[coyote6]

I hope you loaned the guy a copy of a AD&D 1e PHB, with the page with the polymorph spells bookmarked.

Or recommended he watch The Sword in the Stone, even.