D&D General WotC is hiring for the Dungeons & Dragons team

[humble minion]

I'm desperately tempted to mock up a guess at what Justin LaNasa's application for the role would look like...

 

[Sacrosanct]

I'm desperately tempted to mock up a guess at what Justin LaNasa's application for the role would look like...

I like to Design gaemes. Myself Justin Lasanna...LaSangna...Lasa....ah...forget it. Myself Justin am ree-nown for the greatest History in RPGs and design. I created the First D20 when I Talked to my friend duirng roman Invashean. I can Make the game back for white men again, and not WTC Woke attack on us. Mak Gaming Grate Again!

 

[overgeeked]

I'm a huge OSR fan, and indie publisher of OSR stuff. I don't see how the OSR is any more creative than WotC. By definition, it's less creative, since you're using the framework of someone else from an existing system, and have to design within that system.

Because the OSR crowd isn't limited by needing to make millions from each and every single book they produce. The OSR can make niche products that only cater to a few hundred or a few thousand people. They don't have to knock it out of the park with every at bat. They can experiment and try different things without the pressure to sell hundred of thousands of copies of every book. They can produce what they want when they want on their time table. WotC has a corporate overlord and has a printing schedule to keep up. They can't afford to try weird things. It would cost them too much money if they flopped.

Also, I've seen just as much creativity out of things like Witchlight and Strixhaven as I have with any other 3PP material.

You're comparing those two products to the whole of 3PPs and claiming that those two books are more creative than anything and everything produced by the whole of the 3PPs? That's a wildly unsupportable claim.

Edgy =/= more creative.

If you're an OSR fan, and an OSR creator, then you know that the OSR has far more going for it than simply "edgy".

If you want more creativity, you have to get outside of D&D completely, where the creator has full control. That doesn't exist in 3PP, OSR, or other users of the OGL or SRD.

Which is why I mentioned going outside of D&D in my post. And yes, 3PP, the OSR crowd, people using the OGL and the SRD have full creative control over their products. Again, as an OSR creator you should know that. They can do whatever they want. If choose to "limit" themselves to using those licenses, it's a choice they can make...and a lot of people use those licenses, shred the rules, repackage, and repurpose them to do...well, anything they want.

 

[J-H]

I think they need an editor too. One blank bullet and a duplication.

What You’ll Bring:​

• 3+ years experience designing RPG products.
• Bachelor’s degree in the liberal arts, or equivalent professional experience.
• Strong long-form writing and mechanical design skills.
• Good interpersonal and communication skills.
• Strong familiarity with Dungeons & Dragons and proficiency in the fifth edition rules.
• A track record of developing innovative and balanced game mechanics for published RPG products.
• Strong long-form writing and mechanical design skills.
• 
  
• An eye for detail and dedication to excellence.
• Excitement for the future of Dungeons & Dragons

 

[Sacrosanct]

If you're using the OGL, you do not have full creative control and can't do whatever you want. You're using a license. I mean, it's literally right there in the OGL that everyone using it has to include in their product

Because the OSR crowd isn't limited by needing to make millions from each and every single book they produce. The OSR can make niche products that only cater to a few hundred or a few thousand people. They don't have to knock it out of the park with every at bat. They can experiment and try different things without the pressure to sell hundred of thousands of copies of every book. They can produce what they want when they want on their time table. WotC has a corporate overlord and has a printing schedule to keep up. They can't afford to try weird things. It would cost them too much money if they flopped.

You're comparing those two products to the whole of 3PPs and claiming that those two books are more creative than anything and everything produced by the whole of the 3PPs? That's a wildly unsupportable claim.

If you're an OSR fan, and an OSR creator, then you know that the OSR has far more going for it than simply "edgy".

Which is why I mentioned going outside of D&D in my post. And yes, 3PP, the OSR crowd, people using the OGL and the SRD have full creative control over their products. Again, as an OSR creator you should know that. They can do whatever they want. If choose to "limit" themselves to using those licenses, it's a choice they can make...and a lot of people use those licenses, shred the rules, repackage, and repurpose them to do...well, anything they want.

 

[BookTenTiger]

I think they need an editor too. One blank bullet and a duplication.

Looks like you have...

An eye for detail and dedication to excellence.

 

[overgeeked]

If you're using the OGL, you do not have full creative control and can't do whatever you want. You're using a license. I mean, it's literally right there in the OGL that everyone using it has to include in their product

What are you forced to do besides include a copy of the license itself? If you use open content from other OGL sources you must cite those sources in the copy of the license in your book. So literally nothing beyond including a copy of the license and citing your sources. That's not a huge burden. What are you forced to do content-wise? Literally nothing. You can do anything you want content-wise.

What are you prevented from doing by using the license? You can't violate Wizards' IP...which is already illegal, so effectively nothing. What are you prevented from doing content-wise? Literally nothing. You can do anything you want content-wise.

And that's it. That's the limitations of the lisence of the OGL.

You seem to be conflating "full creative control" for not including a copy of the license, not citing your sources, and actively violating Wizards' IP because those are literally the only things you must and must not do, respectively. That's an incredibly narrow definition of "full creative control".

From the original d20 OGL we have Mutants & Masterminds. They kept the original stats for a few playtests, then dropped them. M&M is on its 3rd edition now. The only real similarity left between D&D and M&M is the d20. The whole of the OSR also springs from the OGL. As does Pathfinder. Yeah, those games and lines and movements all seem utterly bound and unable to do anything because they're so restricted by the OGL.

 

[Sacrosanct]

What are you forced to do besides include a copy of the license itself? If you use open content from other OGL sources you must cite those sources in the copy of the license in your book. So literally nothing beyond including a copy of the license and citing your sources. That's not a huge burden. What are you forced to do content-wise? Literally nothing. You can do anything you want content-wise.

What are you prevented from doing by using the license? You can't violate Wizards' IP...which is already illegal, so effectively nothing. What are you prevented from doing content-wise? Literally nothing. You can do anything you want content-wise.

And that's it. That's the limitations of the lisence of the OGL.

You seem to be conflating "full creative control" for not including a copy of the license, not citing your sources, and actively violating Wizards' IP because those are literally the only things you must and must not do, respectively. That's an incredibly narrow definition of "full creative control".

From the original d20 OGL we have Mutants & Masterminds. They kept the original stats for a few playtests, then dropped them. M&M is on its 3rd edition now. The only real similarity left between D&D and M&M is the d20. The whole of the OSR also springs from the OGL. As does Pathfinder. Yeah, those games and lines and movements all seem utterly bound and unable to do anything because they're so restricted by the OGL.

I think you need to read the license again, and then ask yourself why it exists in the first place. Because that answer will also answer your questions above.

 

[Blue Orange]

While this would fulfil a childhood dream of mine, I haven't been a child in a long long time. I couldn't afford the pay cut (meaning I wish the environment was one where designers and artists got paid more in this industry in general). And while technically I am an award winning game designer, I know there are people of greater diversity who are just as good and better than me that haven't had the same opportunities as me that should get this position.

Yeah, it's not a good job in the usual sense of the word. I remember reading all those great D&D books as a kid and thinking I'd love to be behind the desk making them, and now I realize those people probably got paid squat and got laid off when TSR started crashing. I doubt they pay much or have much in the way of benefits, though that's a perennial problem in the arts.

*for clarity, I am NOT saying it should be a quota hire. I AM saying that with how diverse the gaming space has become, I am certain there are extremely well qualified minorities who haven't gotten a fair shake in other aspects of their careers and deserver it over this cishet white male.

<shrug> Counterpoint. Be true to your values, but you know, I remember when I was applying to college and didn't want to click 'Hispanic' on the form (my family's from Latin America) because I was conservative and opposed affirmative action. (I was a weird high school kid--I was raised in a super-liberal east coast environment and wanted to rebel.) My dad said "look, all the old money people are going to take advantage of their connections, why are you going to unilaterally disarm?" (There were a few jodidos and mierdas in there too.)

Fight for yourself, sir. Nobody else will in this world.

 

[RangerWickett]

Yeah, good luck and such, but until WotC posts a salary range, I'm going to assume they suffer the same low pay situation as so many other game publishers.