WotC Names 10 "Adepts" On Their DMs Guild Store

WotC's Dungeon Masters Guild store launched 18-months ago, and was a vehicle for D&D fans to produce material and sell it to other fans in one convenient online mega-store; WotC's version of the App Store, essentially. WotC's Chris Lindsay comments that the store now has thousands of new publishers on the store - something which is both bug and feature. One of the problems with such a large body of content is that it can be tough to find the really good stuff, and WotC has tried to address this is in past with columns highlighting certain products (and, indeed, there are websites which do that very well too, including the ENnie-nominated Loot the Room which posts a monthly Best of the DM's Guild column).

WotC has just launched a new initiative. They have picked ten DMs Guild creators, who they are calling "Adepts", and will be highlighting them in their podcasts and other media going forward, as well as giving them early copies of adventures like the upcoming Tomb of Annihilation so that they can produce content to go with that product on launch day. They even get a special gold badge so you can spot them on the store!

So who are WotC's first Adepts? They are:

• Lysa Chen
• Will Doyle
• Claire Hoffman
• James Introcaso
• Rich Lescouflair
• Shawn Merwin
• Cindy Moore
• Satine Phoenix
• Ruty Rutenberg
• Monica Valentinelli

I did a quick search at DMs Guild and linked to those authors I could find, though I failed my search-fu on three of them. But you can check out the ones which did work.

From what WotC is saying, it looks like this group will change periodically -- "It won’t always be the same group, and the group won’t always be the same number of folks, but it will be fun and exciting to see what wonders they create." There's more information in WotC's announcement.

One of the important take-aways for most is that there will be third-party content for new adventures on launch day.

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[timbannock]

See, I think the Adept program should include some folks like Marc Altfuldisch, or M.T. Black, in addition to they types they chose.

Their products show an understanding of what DMGuild shoppers and the hobby are looking for. (Hence staying near the top of the list)

We all have our favorites, and I think those names are pretty much on everyone's list. But no matter how much we pine for that, the list we got are people that have -- at some point, in some form -- worked directly with Wizards' team, and therefore, they pretty much know (barring unforeseen circumstances) that these people aren't just interested and involved, but can also *take direction* from them. I think that's the factor that got their names first. It's one thing to produce content. It's a whole other bag to produce it to someone else's specifications and on someone else's deadlines.

I wouldn't surprised if MT and folks like that are exactly the names will see in round two. In no small part because round one shows they are looking, and once we see the actual type of content that drops, the cream of the crop will *know* what's coming if they should get called on, and will be in a much better place to product that kind of stuff under direction from Wizards.

(IME: I write good adventures. But it's taken me over 1.5 years to put one on the Guild because there's no way in hell I'd be happy releasing anything less than perfection, and certainly not on some other people's deadlines. Not even if Wizards was throwing money at me to do so. I'm certainly not the norm, but there's pieces of that that aren't exactly outliers when it comes to project management and deadlines. The names we see in the first round are there for a reason beyond just popularity, or total content, or any one thing like that.)

 

[unnatural 20]

A lot of sour grapes up in here.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Sheeeesh.. QFT

Why not give people a chance before you call out the dogs?

 

[Dire Bare]

"Satine Phoenix" is obviously a pseudonym.

It is. As others have mentioned, it's a stage name she chose when working in the adult industry after a career in programming. I wouldn't say it's obvious, however. As a teacher, I come across some names that stray far from traditional naming conventions. If a kid entered my classroom with the name Satine Phoenix, I wouldn't bat an eye.

Besides, it's a pretty damn cool pseudonym, and I'm not surprised she's essentially adopted it as her nom de guerre, or name of choice. She IS Satine, it's become more than just a pseudonym or stage name. Anyway, IMO, she's pretty cool beans and I'm happy to see her on the list of DM's Guild Adepts.

 

[Zaukrie]

Wow. That derailed.... Anyway, not sure phase one is exactly growing the community. Hopefully phase two does. I like the idea, and hope it leads to something fun

 

[LordEntrails]

I'm curious how they could actually grow the community. Anyone have any ideas or suggestions?

1) Obviously a forum might work. But if it were open to everyone that might devolve. Perhaps by invite only or only for those that have published on the Guild or... You wouldn't want it too restrictive, otherwise it just becomes another "In" club. But it probably also should not be public.

2) Online events/seminars/presentations by DMsG authors to DMsG authors (i.e. anyone who has published something). For instance ask someone to put together a 30 minute presentation on Using the Word template, or Creating Maps using Gimp, or Finding public domain images, or collaborating with artists, or...

 

[Shasarak]

Tomb of Annihilation is the first adventure in about 2 years that is actually interesting to me so I for one am looking forward to seeing what these Adepts can come up with.

 

[Zardnaar]

She's been gaming *well* over a decade and DMing at Meltdown Comics in LA for years. She has more experience than her stage presence shows.

Arguably, she created one of the first online D&D videos series, waaaay back in 2010 before streaming was on anyone's mind.

Only a decade

 

[darjr]

erk.

Sorry Russ, missed the note.

 

[darjr]

I think this is well deserved.

And I'm embarrassed to say that I didn't realize how much of their stuff I've been using.

Nice one WotC.

 

[Peter Saumur]

Except all it does it take people who are already known and have something of an "IN" and give them a higher profile rather than actually finding and raising up new talent.

This. I know Paizo regularly cultivates new talent via their RPG Superstar series. Was hoping Adept was that but it ends up being people who are already doing well...?