Wizards of the Coast Is Hiring a D&D Worldbuilder

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Wizards of the Coast is looking to hire someone to build new worlds for Dungeons & Dragons. Over the weekend, Wizards of the Coast posted a new job listing for a "Senior Narrative Worldbuilding Designer for Dungeons & Dragons." The new position will help Wizards of the Coast "create exciting and inspirational new settings" alongside developing existing settings. Notably, this isn't a position limited to the D&D RPG design team - the position will also work with "ensuring narrative consistency" across video games, entertainment and the D&D RPG.

At a press event earlier this year, D&D franchise head Jess Lanzillo mentioned that new campaign settings were potentially on the way. "With Jeremy Crawford taking on the game director role and then Chris Perkins taking on the creative director role is that we were able to really reestablish a world building environment," Lanzillo said. "What does that mean? We can really establish our worlds and settings like the Forgotten Realms and also look to creating new ones again. That's something that we are working on and we don't have anything to really discuss today other than to tell you like we are re-establishing everything that we have and we are going to make some new stuff too."

The full job listing is below:


We are hiring a Senior Narrative Worldbuilding Designer for Dungeons & Dragons. In this role, you will create exciting and inspirational new settings and develop existing ones. The settings you create will become part of our ever-expanding multiverse. Working closely with others in our creative team, you will give life to legendary characters, intertwine the narratives of D&D stories across various platforms, and provide new content for internal and external partners to play with across all expressions of D&D. We need a world builder with strong writing skills, a collaborative spirit, and a focused imagination.

What You'll Do:
  • Build and develop comprehensive narrative worldbuilding materials for the D&D franchise
  • Design and flesh out new worlds, locations, and settings within the D&D multiverse
  • Evolve and expand existing D&D settings through compelling narrative development
  • Build and develop franchise-level characters, factions, and storylines
  • Ensure narrative consistency across the franchise portfolio including video games, entertainment, and the RPG
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align worldbuilding elements across different media
  • Develop detailed lore documentation and creative briefs for our fans, partners, and team members.
  • Lead narrative development for our world bibles and style guides
 

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Christian Hoffer

Christian Hoffer

My recollection is that Dragon Fist was before 3e released. And I’m certain it didn’t use the D20 system. Don’t remember the specifics, but I feel like it was closer to Alternity in mechanics? Something about different die-types for stunts, maybe?
Dragon Fist was released in between editions but is very D&D adjacent, essentially a hybrid of 2E and 3E mechanics. Nothing really from Alternity.
 

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Dragon Fist was released in between editions but is very D&D adjacent, essentially a hybrid of 2E and 3E mechanics. Nothing really from Alternity.
Sure. Fundamentally 2e (even with kits). Some things that would end up in 3e (like feats, I think? Maybe?). But (once I get past the fact that it is roll-under) Alternity’s core mechanic of d20 +/- a die type seems similar (to me) to the way (some of) Dragon Fist’s stunts modify rolls. That said, I never played Alternity, but doubt the two games felt similar in play.
 

Those aren't separate micro setting, same reason I didn't list Gothic Earth for 2e (it's a subsetting of Ravenloft), they are subsettings.
Shuffles feet Well, I consider them full settings, just with FR slapped on them to sell more/brand recognition (same with Gothic Earth being a subset of Ravenloft)

Oh sheesh, I also forgot about the likes of the green historical books. 2E has stuff all over the place.

Anyways, it's pretty clear it was the volume of stuff TSR was puking out, not the myriad of ideas that was the problem. I mean, look at how many kickstarters there are that have their own little unique world, and people are still starving for more worlds.
 

Sure. Fundamentally 2e (even with kits). Some things that would end up in 3e (like feats, I think? Maybe?). But (once I get past the fact that it is roll-under) Alternity’s core mechanic of d20 +/- a die type seems similar (to me) to the way (some of) Dragon Fist’s stunts modify rolls. That said, I never played Alternity, but doubt the two games felt similar in play.
I think Chris Pramas (the Dragon Fist designer) at some point released a revision moving Dragon Fist more firmly into 3E territory . . . or maybe it moved it further way . . . it's been a while . . .
 

I think Chris Pramas (the Dragon Fist designer) at some point released a revision moving Dragon Fist more firmly into 3E territory . . . or maybe it moved it further way . . . it's been a while . . .
I think he was going to with Green Ronin (bought the rights). Not sure it ever happened, though. I think the stunt system might have evolved into the AGE stunts.
 



We are hiring a Senior Narrative Worldbuilding Designer for Dungeons & Dragons. In this role, you will create exciting and inspirational new settings and develop existing ones. The settings you create will become part of our ever-expanding multiverse. Working closely with others in our creative team, you will give life to legendary characters, intertwine the narratives of D&D stories across various platforms, and provide new content for internal and external partners to play with across all expressions of D&D. We need a world builder with strong writing skills, a collaborative spirit, and a focused imagination.

What You'll Do:
  • Build and develop comprehensive narrative worldbuilding materials for the D&D franchise
  • Design and flesh out new worlds, locations, and settings within the D&D multiverse
  • Evolve and expand existing D&D settings through compelling narrative development
  • Build and develop franchise-level characters, factions, and storylines
  • Ensure narrative consistency across the franchise portfolio including video games, entertainment, and the RPG
  • Collaborate with cross-functional teams to align worldbuilding elements across different media
  • Develop detailed lore documentation and creative briefs for our fans, partners, and team members.
  • Lead narrative development for our world bibles and style guides

Okay, so some have observed the similarity to the job descriptions of video game companies.

How do similar jobs in the past compare in their descriptive texts? To authors? To cinematic world bible writers?

It would be interesting to see, to get a gauge of how WOTC as a company sees itself. It's interesting to see how different creatives over the years describe the jobs in different eras, and what kind of company, and company structure WOTC has.
 

I think he was going to with Green Ronin (bought the rights). Not sure it ever happened, though. I think the stunt system might have evolved into the AGE stunts.
I do remember that Pramas, after leaving WotC, managed to get the rights to Dragon Fist, and I'm pretty sure there was a Green Ronin published version . . . but sadly, it didn't stick as a major game line for the company.
 

Mystara was never a 2nd edition AD&D line (AFAIK)
They published boxed sets for Karameikos and Glantri under 2E, along with Mark of Amber (Castle Amber sequel) and a few smaller boxed sets. The line wasn't well regarded and didn't sell well and it was cancelled, with a boxed set for Darokin scrapped.

(For the record, I thought the Karemeikos and Glantri boxed sets were fine. Moving them from BD&D to AD&D was the real problem, I suspect, that upset so many fans.)
 
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